You Complete Me
by chihuahuamama
Summary: When you've lost everything, even your memory, you have nothing to live for. Edward felt dead inside. He no longer cared until he met the Cullens and seized the opportunity to start over. Will he finally find his raison d'être and feel complete? On Hiatus
1. Chapter 1 The Offer

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

The websites to the places mentioned in this chapter are on my profile labeled as "You complete me."

**Title: You complete me**

**Characters: Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper**

**Chapter 1: The Offer**

**EPOV**

I was rescued when the Tsunami hit Sri Lanka resulting from the Indian Ocean earthquake on December 26th, 2004. I don't have much memory of it, but people presumed I was on the Samudra Devi (Queen of the Sea) holiday train, that derailed due to the Tsunami killing close to 1700 passengers. Only about 20 people survived the train wreck including myself.

I was transported to Batapola hospital. Later I learned that the water that flooded the train came up to about 60 ft high. The injuries I sustained healed quickly, but the injury to my head caused memory loss. For years I've tried and contacted embassies with no success in finding out my identity. Who am I? The people who rescued me in Telwatta had been very kind to me. I was given sanctuary at a nearby Temple. They took me in and welcomed me. After I healed, I was given a job at the Colombo fort, and since last year I started working at The Breeze Bar, by the pool at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel.

A year ago, I met an American at Flags and Whistle restaurant in Colombo, and became fast friends. His name was Emmett Cullen from New York. He was on honeymoon with his wife, Rosalie. They were newlyweds. They spent 2 weeks at The Galle Face Hotel. On days I didn't have work, I took them around Sri Lanka, as their tour guide. Over the years I picked up Sinhalese, one of the languages spoken by 70% of the people in Sri Lanka.

Thankfully, due to the Burghers that were descendants of the European colonists from the 16th to the 20th century from Portugal, Dutch, German, and the British, having fair skin and green eyes didn't make me stand out that much amongst the population here.

I met many Americans in the 4 years I lived here in Colombo. The consensus was that I was an American from the Mid-west, most probably Chicago, according to the American tourists I met here in Sri Lanka.

I kept in touch with Emmett for a year now through emails and phone calls. He called me at least once a month. Last time when he called, he told me he was returning to Sri Lanka with Rosalie, to celebrate their 1st wedding anniversary. He said he was coming here with Rosalie and his brother, Jasper, and Jasper's girlfriend, Alice.

I went to greet them in the lobby of The Galle Face Hotel where they were staying at. They were booked in the royal suites there. When I got to the lobby they were already there waiting to be handed their key. Emmett looked like his usual self. Loud, obnoxious, funny, and child like. His younger brother was different. He seemed sensitive and soft spoken. His brother's girlfriend was a little pixie. Probably shorter than 5 feet and had black, spiky, short hair. She bounced in the lobby looking around like a child in a candy store. Rosalie looked just as beautiful since the last time I saw her. Her long blonde hair and blue eyes were met with almost all the men who walked past her in the lobby.

"Hey guys. This is Edward. Edward, you remember Rosalie. This is my brother Jasper, and his girlfriend, Alice." Emmett introduced me.

"Hi. It's my pleasure to meet you all. It's so good to see you two again. I hope you all have a great time here." I said.

Alice jumped into my arms and hugged me. "It's so good to meet you finally. We heard so many great things about you." Alice said and smiled.

"I'll go freshen up. Can I meet you back here in half an hour? Let's go to dinner together." Emmett said to me.

"Sure. Shall I make a reservation for 5 somewhere?" I asked Emmett.

"Rose is beat and Alice and Jasper wants to go for a swim. It'll just be you and me. I'm sure we can get in almost anywhere since it's just the two of us." Emmett said and left to go up to his suite.

I decided to take Emmett to the Cricket Club Café for a few drinks. When he came down to the lobby, he wanted to take a tuk tuk to the Cricket Club, so we hired 2 of them, and went down to Cricket Club Café.

Emmett loved the old style bungalow and the cricket memorabilia that decorated the walls. We ordered some beer, burgers, and fries.

"So, Edward, how are things for you these days? I know we talk often, but it is different on the phone than actually meeting face to face. I have an agenda apart from celebrating my one year anniversary with Rose. I wanted to talk to you if you'd be interested in moving to New York, to work for me and my family," Emmett said to me.

I was really shocked after hearing Emmett's proposal to me. I never considered moving out of Sri Lanka. I don't even remember my last name nor even own a passport. There was no way for me to leave this country. "Emmett that's so generous of you. If you remember, I have amnesia. I can't even make a passport because I don't even know who I am."

"I can take care of all that. Jasper knows a guy who can deal with that. His name is Jason Jenks. He's very good at what he does and all you have to do is say 'yes' and all the necessary documents will be arranged you." Emmett said and grinned.

"It sounds too good to be true. I think I used all my luck when I survived the Tsunami." I said to Emmett.

"Hear me out. You know that my family owns a vineyard in Napa Valley, The Cullen Estate Wines. It's all run by family. My parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins also work in this business. My brother and I also have a café and a little market in the upper east side of New York called C. Cullen and Sons. We have a warehouse for the goods in Brooklyn that I'm responsible for. Rose wants to start a family, and that means I won't be able to travel like I used to. I need you to come and work for me in New York, so that you can assist me." Emmett explained.

His offer was tempting. It would be my ticket out of this country. It would give me an opportunity to search for my identity. I'd have a job, and a place to live too. Maybe I can finally make myself feel like I belong somewhere, fill in the memory blanks, and feel complete again.

"Just think about it while we're here. You don't have to leave with us. Even if you decide to move to New York, you probably have things you need to take care of here, before you can actually relocate." Emmett said.

"Let me think about it. It's something I've never even dreamed or considered. I just always thought I was going to be stuck here. Regardless of whether I accept your offer or not, please know that I am forever grateful that you even considered offering me this position. Thank you Emmett."

"What are friends for? In this case you would be helping me, and it would be me who need to thank you, if you decide to take my offer." Emmett said and squeezed my shoulder.

"You've certainly piqued my interest. Would you please tell me more about your operation in New York?"

"Sure thing. Well, like I told you earlier, Jasper and I run a café, and a little market in the upper east side of New York. Bella is our chef and our pâtissier of the café. My brother, Alice, and I grew up with Bella. We're originally from a small town in Washington, called Forks. After I graduated, I came out here to New York, and attended Columbia, and got my M.B.A from Columbia Business School. After Jasper finished high school, he, Alice, and Bella came out to New York. Jasper went to NYU and got his M.B.A from NYU Stern. Alice went to Parsons, to study fashion design and marketing. Bella went to Culinary Institute of America. After she graduated, she spent a few years in Italy, and worked in a restaurant there, and that's the reason we serve great pasta and pizzas at our Café." Emmett started to explain his business operation.

"Wow so your chef studied in Italy?" I asked Emmett.

"Yes, she did. We all take our business seriously, and that's the reason our wine business and Café is doing very well. The business is doing excellen,t but we need a little push on the distribution of our wines, and need someone responsible to handle that, and that's where I need you. I know you have experience from working at the port, importing and exporting goods, and have experience managing the bar at The Breeze, which would be a great asset to us, should you decided to come and work for us, both at our warehouse and the Café. If you're thinking I offered you the position out of pity, or because you are my friend, then you are mistaken. Like I said, I take our business seriously, and would not be jeopardizing it. I believe that I can benefit from your expertise and help strengthen the business."

After his explanation, I felt better that he wasn't just trying to be charitable. "I will seriously consider your offer. I do believe that I can bring something to the table, but please give me a little while to think about it. It would be a major change in my life, and not something I can jump into with both feet, before putting some thought into it," I said to Emmett.

"While we're here you can talk to Rose, Jasper, and Alice. They'll be able to share more about the Café and the market. Rose handles customer relations and marketing. Jasper is the General Manager of the Café. My mother designed the Café but Alice takes care of all the linens, dinnerware, flatware, and stemware. We have several hired help in the back and several servers. I guess that basically covers the overall picture. Have any questions?"

"It sounds like a dream job, but very hard work. I'm surprised you were all able to take a break and come out here."

"Yeah. We love it, but it drains us. Bella and my parents are covering for us right now. She wants time off during Christmas to go home to Washington to see her father, so she stayed in New York, instead of coming with us. It worked out well for all of us. I don't know if we really could have been able to come here this time unless Bella stayed behind."

"What kind of food do you have on the menu at the Café?"

"The menu isn't that extensive. We have daily specials and 5 selections of pasta dishes, 5 kinds of pizzas, 5 kinds of Panini, and some pastries and cakes."

"What do you sell at the market?"

"We sell the Cullen wines, pastas, olive oil, spices, pasta sauce, meats and produce. We mainly sell the ingredients needed to make the pasta dishes, pizzas, and Panini that are offered at the Café."

"If I went to work for you, what will I do first?"

"I'll probably try to ease you in slowly. Show you the set up first, have you work at the Café, and then the market. While you're working there Jasper, Rose, and Bella can teach you about our wines and goods. Then I'll take you to our distribution center in Brooklyn and start showing you how to handle shipping and inventory. It's a lot of work, but I think you'll enjoy it." Emmett said and smiled.

After we finished discussing about the job offer, we started to talk about his plans of sightseeing in Sri Lanka. I knew Emmett wanted to go to Polonnaruwa during their stay. It was the island's medieval capital. He couldn't go see the ruins from the 12th century, and the seated, standing, and reclining Buddha last time he was here in Sri Lanka. Rosalie and Emmett barely left their hotel room. Understandable, since it was their honeymoon.

"Jasper mentioned he also wanted to go to Sigiriya Rock (Lion's Rock). The ancient rock fortress and palace." Emmett said.

"It's a beautiful place. It's my favorite. It's one of the seven Unesco's World Heritage in Sri Lanka."

"I heard we're here in time for Kandy Esala Perahera. I was told not to miss it. I heard it was the most spectacular Buddhist festival of the year here. They told me the procession includes torch bearers, drummers, musicians, fire dancers, whip dancers, Kandian dancers, 100 elaborately adorned elephants, and tooth of Buddha." Emmett sounded really excited.

"It's next week, so you definitely don't want to miss it. I'll make the necessary arrangements for you guys."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it. We wouldn't have half the fun if you weren't here. We get to do the tourist thing and experience what the locals do because of you. Don't know how to thank you." Emmett said sincerely.

"No need to thank me. You've done so much for me already." I said and smiled at Emmett.

"Oh, we're also planning to spend a few days in Maldives. We booked the Beach Pavilion at Huvafen Fushi. Rose wanted to experience having a personal butler on call 24 hrs a day." Emmett chuckled.

"I've heard really great things about that place. I'm sure you'll all love it there. Make sure Rose and Alice try the underwater spa there. Go snorkeling, sunset fishing, visit the SpaQuarium, and go on the private photo flights on the air taxi. There's so much to do there, you'll have a great anniversary."

We headed back to the hotel and Emmett reminded me to carefully consider his offer.

**A/N **

Did you all like it? Please leave me a review and let me know your thoughts! Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2 Meeting Bella

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

The web sites of the places mentioned in this chapter are on my profile under "You Complete Me – Chapter 2". There's a link to a picture of a produce store in Tuscany I found that fits the image of the Cullen's market in this story.

This is my second fan fiction. I have another story running called "Amor Vincit Omnia."

**Chapter 2 Meeting Bella **

**Characters: Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, Bella, Alice, and Tanya**

**EPOV**

I entered the Café and saw a petite, long haired, brunette woman with beautiful brown eyes standing by the counter. Her eyes were warm and tender. She was talking to Rosalie.

"Hi. I'm here to see Mr. Emmett Cullen. My name is Edward." I said to the woman and smiled.

"Is he expecting you?" She smiled and asked.

"Yes. He told me to come and see him at 1 p.m." I told the girl.

"Okay. Let me get you seated and I'll go and get him for you." She said and smiled.

"Hey, Edward! Glad you found the Café. I thought of calling you but I forgot after the morning rush. Sorry about that." Rosalie said to me.

"Hi, Rosalie. No problem. The directions I had were simple to follow. It was easy to find the Café."

"Hey Edward. Good. You made it." Emmett said and sat down at a table beside Rosalie. "Bella could you bring us some Panini and coffee? Thanks." Emmett said to the brunette.

"Sure thing, Em. Be right back." The brunette woman said and went into the kitchen.

"Did you get here okay? How's the apartment?" Emmett asked.

"I had no trouble getting here. Your directions were easy to follow. The apartment is awesome. There's a deli steps away from the apartment. The subway station was only a block away. Did it come furnished?" I asked Emmett.

"I own that apartment. I lived there until I got married to Rosalie. Alice and Jasper lived there till recently. So that's why it's furnished. Alice and Jasper left a lot of things there since they bought new furniture for their new place. I'm glad it came in handy." Emmett smiled.

I sat down and joined Emmett and Rosalie. Emmett talked animatedly about a customer they had in the morning who ordered 5 sandwiches and ate it all by herself.

"You two really should have seen her. She was a little tiny woman. She could eat like me. I'm not sure where all the food went inside her." Emmett said and laughed.

"Lucky her. She must have great metabolism. I envy woman like her. Maybe she was an athlete or something." Rosalie said and pouted.

"Aww baby, you can eat as much as you want. I'll love you just the same." Emmett said and pulled Rosalie closer to him and kissed her cheek.

"Here you go, Em. I got you guys a roast beef Panini, turkey Panini, salami Panini and fries."

"Hey Bella, grab a seat. Let me introduce him to you. This is Edward. Edward Green. The guy I told you about." Emmett introduced me to the brunette woman with the sir name he gave me when he made the passport and identification documents. "Edward, this is Bella Swan. She is our executive chef and patissier."

"Hello Bella. It's my pleasure to meet you. I've heard so much about you it feels like I already know you." I said to her.

"Nice to meet you, Edward. I hope what Emmett told you about me were all good." She chuckled.

"Believe me, it was all good." I smiled and said to her.

"Edward is going to start from tomorrow. I want him in the kitchen and get acquainted with the food we serve. Rose will teach him how to work the floor from next week. Jasper will teach him about the wine we serve so he knows what to recommend to the customers. Then I'm going to move him to the market." Emmett said to Bella.

"All right. I can do that." Bella nodded.

"My cousin Kate is the Sous-chef. She's not in today so Bella can introduce you to her tomorrow. My cousin Irina is our Roundsman. We have several kitchen assistants who also work at the market." Emmett explained to me.

"Did you make these paninis? They're wonderful." I said to Bella.

"I did. I'm glad you like them. I'll show you how I make them tomorrow when you're in the kitchen. The kitchen goes crazy during morning, lunch and dinner peak hours so I might make you sit at a station to watch so that you don't get in anyone's way. I think you'll have a lot of fun watching though." Bella said to me.

"Thanks for hanging around. You probably need to go in the kitchen to start prepping for dinner." Emmett said to Bella.

"I look forward to seeing you tomorrow." Bella smiled and said to me.

"Likewise. Thank you." I said to Bella and she headed into the kitchen with Rosalie trailing behind her.

"Let's head to the market. I wanna show you what we sell. Alice said she'll come here around 6 p.m. to take you out to dinner. Enjoy cuz you won't be able to have dinner so early for a long time once you start work." Emmett said and we got up to go to the market.

The market was next door to the Café. It wasn't very big but it wasn't small either. It was warm and inviting. It looked something I once saw of a store in Tuscany. There were several tables and chairs, and baskets of fresh produce in the front section of the market. They had refrigerator filled with cold cuts and cheeses in one section, breads, pastries, cakes, and fresh pastas in another section. There were spices, olive oil, jams, and other preserved goods arranged on the shelves. There were some imported items from Italy as well. The salami and sausages made from wax hung from the ceiling for decoration. Towards the back I saw the Cullen wines. The whole atmosphere made you feel like you were in Italy.

"Bella makes the breads, pastries, cakes, and fresh pasta." Emmett said.

"She cooks in the café and does all that? That's a lot of work." I said to Emmett.

"She's really good at what she does and Kate and Irina assist her. Once you learn things in the Café I'd like you to start working in here. The customers always ask what to put in the Panini or the pasta they had at the restaurant so that's why I need you to learn things in the Café before you start working in here. I'll make sure you have a taste of everything on the menu."

"I highly doubt they can replicate what Bella makes at the Café even though they purchase the same ingredients." I said to Emmett.

"You guessed right. No one can make what Bella makes even if they tried. That is why the customers keep returning to our Café." Emmett laughed and I nodded.

Emmett led me to the wines and showed me a bottle of their 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. "This is the best wine we have at the moment. It's retailed at $135. It received 96 pts on one of the wine review magazine. You'll have to ask Rosie for the name of the magazine. She keeps track of all the coverage we get in the press. I was a bit worried back then because we had four times the amount of rain so the vines grew really slow but we had great weather in the summer so it caught up and ended up being one of our finest." Emmett explained to me.

"How many kinds of reds and whites do you guys produce at the Estate?"

"Hmmm. Well we have Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. Thanks to Robert Mondavi marketing the dry style Sauvignon Blanc and naming it Fume Blanc, we label ours both Sauvignon Blanc and Fume Blanc to distinguish the dry one and the sweet style one. Eh, I'll ask Rosie to give you some books to study up on the wines." Emmett said and patted my back.

Alice arrived when Emmett was showing me the wines. "Hi Edward, it's so good to see you finally here in New York." Alice said and smiled.

"Thanks Alice. It's so good to see you again. I really love it here in New York." I said to Alice.

"Well if you're done here I'd like to take you out to dinner so we can discuss more things about the Café and the market in a more relaxed atmosphere." Alice said to me.

"We're done here for the day. Have a great night, Alice and Edward." Emmett said and left to go back to the Café.

"So Edward, are you missing Sri Lankan food? I'm thinking of taking you to Sigiri, a Sri Lankan restaurant here in New York." Alice said happily.

"They have one here? Oh I'd love to have some curry. I haven't had any spicy food since I came to New York. I haven't been motivated to cook yet so." I said to Alice.

"Yup. The whole works. They have variety of curries, gothamba roti, string hopper, Indi aapa, pol sambol, basmati rice, and even watalappam for dessert!" Alice bounced and clapped her hands.

When we got to the restaurant it was packed. Alice had explained to me that the food was great and had excellent reviews before we got to the restaurant. We ordered gothamba roti for appetizer and decided to share chicken curry and pork black curry with string hoppers for the main course. The food really was spicy and great. I was glad Alice introduced me to this restaurant. Now that I know of this restaurant I could always come back whenever I craved spicy food.

"Thanks for introducing me to this restaurant. Now I have a place to come when I'm home sick." I said to Alice.

"Do you consider Sri Lanka your home?" Alice asked with a confused look on her face.

"Well, I'm sure Emmett's told you about my amnesia. All the memories that are clear to me are ones from Sri Lanka so that's the closest to where I can call home. I have some memories from my childhood and even my adult years but they are bits and pieces and I can't make sense of it. The only reason I call myself 'Edward' is because I have a memory of a woman who I think is my mother calling me 'Edward'" I explained to Alice.

"It must be really tough. I'm pretty good at drawing, if you ever have memory flash you can describe me the buildings etc. you see in it and I could probably draw that for you. My drawing might help you try to locate that place. It might give you a starting point on your search of finding out who you are." Alice said to me.

"Why would you think I'm looking to find out who I am?"

"I just tend to know things. I'm also very good at reading people. I know you are very careful, you're a planner, motivation drives you, you like to be in your comfort zone, you're more of an introvert, you are man of few words, and you don't seem too adventurous. A person like you would hold on to whatever you have tightly so unless there was something really important you wouldn't have left Sri Lanka. I can tell you are not success or money driven. So the only thing left is that you are probably here to find out who you are. Correct me if I'm wrong but no one bets against me." Alice said and chuckled.

"You are correct to a certain degree. It's true that the biggest reason I took this offer is because I wanted to fill the gap in my memory and find out who I am. This opportunity was the ticket out of Sri Lanka. Emmett made documents for me which enabled me to get a passport. It's a hard thing to come by if you don't remember who you are or have a last name. I don't remember what my last name is. Emmett gave me the last name 'Green' from the color of my eyes. But, I wouldn't have taken this offer if it wasn't from Emmett. He's become a very good friend of mine and his explanation of why he wanted me on board was interesting to me. I want you to know that I didn't take his offer to take advantage of him. I will keep working for him until he gets tired of me. I'm not going to disappear one day. I would never do that to Emmett." I explained to Alice.

"Just so we're clear, Edward, please don't misunderstand me. I never doubted your sincerity. The thought of you taking advantage of Emmett never crossed my mind. "

"Thanks Alice. But could you please keep this to yourself? You're very understanding but I'm not sure how understanding others would be. They might think that I might just up and leave now that I'm in the U.S." I requested Alice.

"Of course. Your secret is safe with me. You, Bella, and I need to stick together since we are not a Cullen." Alice said and smiled.

"What's the story behind you guys? You all seem very close."

"Oh we grew up together. Bella moved to the town Emmett, Jasper, and I lived when she was a junior in high school. Although she was born in Forks, she spent her formative years in Phoenix because of her parents' divorce. Her father is the chief of police in Forks, Washington. He doesn't make that much money. Emmett's parents found potential in her culinary skills so they paid for her culinary school education and her years in Italy so that Bella can bring something to the table to their business. I dated Jasper since high school and followed him to New York." Alice explained the connection between all of them.

"Well I hope I can fit in. You guys are such a tight-knit." I expressed my concern to Alice.

"I'm sure you'll fit in fine. Emmett has great people skills. He wouldn't have offered you this position if he didn't think you'd fit in with us."

After dinner Alice took me around the neighborhood to show me restaurants and stores that would come handy to me.

Alice had her arm in mine but I didn't mind it. She seemed like a little sister to me and I found her cheerfulness very comforting. While we walked Alice stopped abruptly and had a scowl on her face. "The she-devil approaches." She said in what sounded more like a whisper. When I looked toward the direction she was facing I saw a woman approach us.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Alice Cullen! I didn't take you for the cheating type. Who's this handsome man on your arms?" The tall strawberry blonde woman asked Alice.

"Someone you need to stay clear from." Alice answered looking like she didn't want either of us around this woman.

"Protective are you? I'm sure this man can handle his own. I'm Tanya Denali, Alice's cousin. I own a Café in SoHo." The woman introduced herself and held out her hand.

I held out my hand and shook hers. "Hello. I'm Edward. I work for the Cullens."

"Oh you do? Have you met my sisters? Kate and Irina?" The woman who called herself Tanya asked me.

"I'm sure he'll meet them soon. See you around Tanya, we have to get going." Alice said and briskly walked away from her clinging on to me tight.

"Soooo, what's the story behind Tanya? She owns a Café? That doesn't sound too good when you guys already have a Café. Emmett never mentioned me about that."

"She's the black sheep of the family. She was married to a very wealthy, OLD, and dying man. He left her with a lot of money. So with that money, just to spite us she started a Café few years ago. Unfortunately it's doing very well. They have a very famous executive chef and because she used to be a model she has a lot of patrons including celebrity, artists, and filmmakers." Alice explained to me.

"Does she get along with her sisters?" I was curious.

"They don't get along very well. They don't hate her but they try to avoid her. Tanya keeps trying to convince Kate and Irina to quit and join her Café though but Kate and Irina is very loyal to the family. Tanya is nothing but a nuisance to us. She's probably trying to find out about you as we speak." Alice clearly looked irritated.

"Maybe she'll dig far enough that she'll find out who I really am." I said and chuckled.

"Well if that happens maybe we can forgive her and be nicer to her… NOT!" Alice said and laughed.

"May I treat you for some sweets and coffee somewhere? Maybe that will help calm your nerves? You'll need to select a place to go though. I clearly have no idea where I am right now." I said and chuckled.

"Hmmm. Let's see. I think I'm in the mood for crepes. There's a café called 'The Creperie NYC'. They have great crepes there. It's open till 3 a.m. so it's a great place to go after work. They were even on Food Network. Hmm maybe you've never watched Food Network. I'll check with Emmett and make sure that you have cable." Alice said and led me to the Café.

We got to the Creperie pretty quick. It was a small little café with a little statue of a man holding a plate of crepe outside of the café. There was a bench outside that was weathered and a little crooked which actually added to the charm of the place.

Alice told me that the place gets quite crowded but due to the hour there were some empty tables for us to get seated. "What do you suggest?" I asked Alice.

"Hmm. My favorites are The House Special which is a crepe with Tiramisu, strawberries, Nutella, and whipped cream. The Delicious crepe comes with chocolate mousse, strawberries, Nutella, and whipped cream. The Famous Crepe comes with strawberries, bananas, Nutella, ice cream, and whipped cream. Crepe Suzette comes with fresh squeezed lemon juice, caramel, and Grand Marnier. You can add another filling for just a dollar."

"I think I'll have the Crepe Suzette with ice cream added." I said to Alice.

"Yum. That sounds really good. I think I'm having The House Special." Alice said and ordered for both of us.

"Thanks for taking me out today." I said to Alice.

"No problem. I'm the one who wanted to take you out. I actually begged Emmett so that I could sit down and talk to you before you started work. I just wanted to give you a chance to ask me things you probably won't feel too comfortable asking Emmett. He's your friend but he's your boss now so. Plus he's a Cullen and he won't tell you the juicy stuff about his family." Alice laughed.

"I take it that you are referring to Tanya. The woman we ran into earlier?"

"It's a family business. There's lots of dirt on just about everyone but yeah Tanya stands out the most. She hates us all but hates Bella the most."

"Why would she hate Bella?" I asked. I wasn't sure how someone hated a person like Bella. She definitely looked like she couldn't harm anyone or anything.

"Tanya is just jealous of Bella. Bella is very talented and loved by everyone. Tanya wanted to go to culinary school too after she heard about the Cullens offering to pay for her education but her family said 'no'. They decided it wasn't going to help the family business because they didn't see Tanya having talent in cooking so neither her parents nor the Cullens agreed to fund it. So Tanya became a model and started to hate Bella because the Cullens paid for Bella's education when they turned her down. To get back at the family she started her own Café when her husband passed away. I don't see why she still needs be jealous. Her Café is much more successful than ours. Emmett and Jasper likes it the way it is though. They aren't going to go out recruit some famous chef like Tanya did. They are perfectly happy with Bella, the patrons, and the way the Café is going. They don't care about becoming famous."

"The Café and the market are doing well right? Not in any kind of financial difficulty?"

"Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to make it sound like that. We're doing extremely well. The place is too small to accommodate all the people who want to dine there. You'll see tomorrow morning. We have a stand up front in the morning so that the customers can quickly grab coffee and breakfast paninis and get to work. It gets crazy in the morning. Don't take it personally if Rose yells at you. I know she likes you. She warmed up to you quick. It took a while for her to like me. She's a very good judge of character."

"Who works the stands in the morning?" I was curious. I wanted to know so I would be prepared.

"Rose, Jasper, and one or two of our hired help work at the stands in the morning. Bella is usually the kitchen, and Irina and Kate will be in the kitchen or at the market. Were you told to show up at 6 a.m.?"

"Yes. Rosalie told me to go through the back entrance at 6 a.m. I'm supposed to help set up."

"Jasper comes home after the morning rush to catch a few hours of sleep and I have late lunch with him. I'll see if Jasper would be interested in having lunch there so I can see you tomorrow." Alice smiled.

"Oh please don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Go have a nice lunch somewhere else with him. I'm sure he'd want a break away from the Café."

"Don't be silly. Friends watch out for each other. It's your first day. You need moral support. Plus Jazz likes to eat at the Café. Nothing beats the food Bella cooks."

***************

**A/N **

Please leave me a review and let me know if you like this story and would like me to continue writing. I'm still trying to decide whether to continue this story or not. Thank you! I really appreciate it.

I also have another story on here called, "Amor Vincit Omnia." If you look on my profile, under the tab labeled "My stories," you'll see the link to it. It's a love story between Bella and Edward. It starts out with Bella's best friend Alice and Jasper leaving LA for Chicago to attend Bella's husband's funeral as he passed away from cancer. Bella becomes widowed with a 3 year old girl. Alice convinces her to move to LA to live near her, her boyfriend Jasper, her brother Emmett, and his girlfriend Rosalie. At the same time Alice's other brother, Edward, is also moving from Chicago to LA after a horrible breakup with Jessica and his latest girlfriend Tanya. He's never met Bella so when he runs into her at the airport he only sees her as a beautiful brunette woman and never expects to see her again. But fate has different ideas for them. It's full of humor, romance, drama, culinary delights, and trips outside of LA. If you like any of that, I think you'll enjoy this story. All human. Canon pairings.


	3. Chapter 3 First day on the job

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

**Chapter 3 First day on the job**

**Characters: Edward, Bella, Jasper, Rosalie, Kate, Irina, and Seth**

**BPOV**

I was lost for words when Emmett's friend came up to the counter. I forgot he was coming in yesterday. I was glad I quickly recovered from being shocked. Although I had seen him in the pictures Emmett showed me from their trip to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, the pictures didn't do justice. I knew he was good looking but he wasn't just good looking. He was beautiful. I couldn't take my eyes off him when Emmett asked me to sit down with them.

I tried very hard to concentrate on the conversation otherwise I would have drooled and made a fool of myself. My legs turned to jello and I wobbled to the kitchen after Emmett excused me so that I could prep for dinner. Today was going to be his first day at work. I mentally lectured to myself to concentrate on my work and not let my eyes wander off to Edward while I worked in the kitchen. I would hurt myself or get others injured if I lost my concentration. It was going to be a hard task. I was so hopelessly attracted to him. I secretly hoped no one noticed my attraction towards Edward.

I got to the Café at 5:30 a.m. I expected to be the first person to arrive at the Café but was surprised when I saw Edward standing in front of the door facing his back towards me. I was screwed. I needed to concentrate so that I wouldn't act like a babbling fool. I took a calming breath before I attempted to greet Edward.

"Good morning, Edward." I failed miserably. My words came out as a squeak.

Edward chuckled and greeted me back. I sighed silently and felt defeated. While I unlocked the door and disarmed the security system, Jasper came in singing. I assumed he had great morning sex with Alice.

"Good morning Edward and Bella." Jasper smiled.

I looked towards Edward and saw him grin at me. I realized he also assumed the same about Jasper.

"It's five freaking thirty a.m. Jasper. Not everyone is as cheery as you or had great morning sex." I said to Jasper and Edward chuckled.

"Stop being jealous of others having morning sex and get laid." Rosalie said entering the Café. When I glared towards Rosalie I saw Jasper laughing and Edward shaking as he tried to hold his laugh.

I scowled at all of them. "Chop Chop. Stop making fun of my non-existent sex life and make your lazy butts useful. We need to get ready to arm the busy, hungry, hard working people our power breakfast before they go to fight their battles today."

"Prepare for war!" Jasper yelled and everyone laughed. Everyone seemed to be in a very good mood today. Maybe it had something to do with Edward. He seemed to have that effect on everyone. Even yesterday both Emmett and Rosalie were in a very good mood despite all the mishaps that happened by our servers. Jasper led Edward to the market from the kitchen to prepare to set up the stand at the front section of the market. The kitchen was conveniently connected to cater both the market and the Café with doors in the back of both the Café and the market.

Rosalie came and leaned on my station while I toasted the panini and filled it with ham, scrambled eggs, and cheese.

"I saw you eyeing Edward yesterday, don't deny it Bella. I saw the twinkle in your eyes. You're attracted to Edward, aren't you?" She said and smirked.

"I don't have time to be attracted to anyone." I snapped back at Rosalie.

"Oh if it's just 'time' that you so eloquently say, then I'm sure I can talk Emmett into giving you 'time'. Come on Bella, it's time to get back out there and fall in love. Edward is perfect for you. He's single, available, and is a great guy." Rosalie said emphasizing "time" using air quotes.

I growled at Rosalie. "I'm sure he's the perfect guy for someone else who deserves him."

"Who says you don't deserve him?"

"I don't know but there's something in his eyes that tell me he needs someone who's patient, understanding, caring, and loving who can rescue him from whatever pain he's going through. I see it in his eyes, Rose. There's pain there. I don't know what's causing it, but I don't think I'm the one who can take away that pain."

"Stop being silly, Bella. I don't know of anyone who is as caring and loving as you. You are so selfless. If you can't help him, no one else can. I'm not telling you to jump into bed with him. Just give it a chance. Don't deny the attraction you have for him. Anyway I should go and help up front. Have a good one, Bella." Rosalie said and left the kitchen.

I reflected back on what Rosalie said. Was my attraction towards Edward that obvious? Had Edward noticed it too? I felt the blush that crept up my face. As always I had the worst timing. Edward rushed back into the kitchen and stopped when he saw the blush on my face.

"Do you have a fever? Your face is red. Are you feeling all right?" Edward said with a worried look.

"Don't worry about it. It sometimes happens when I have my head down. Are you here to pick up the panini?"

"Yeah. Jasper asked me to check on you if you had any made. There are three customers outside the market waiting already."

"I've got five panini done and five more in a minute so take these five and come back immediately for another 5 of them." I smiled and replied to Edward.

"All right. Thank you. I'll be right back." Edward flashed a dazzling smile and ran back to the market."

"Be careful!" I yelled and he just waved back to let me know he was fine. I guess no one was as clumsy as I was. No one slipped on the floor as often as I did.

It was almost 7 a.m. so Rosalie prepared to open the Café. Due to the people waiting in front of the market, Jasper opened the market before 6:30 a.m. Kate arrived so I switched from breakfast duties of the market to cooking for the orders from the Café.

Breakfast was a huge hit this morning. I wondered why. I ended up cooking for both the market and the Café. There were too many orders from the market for Kate to handle. It was probably the busiest morning we've ever had. I tried to recall if there was some kind of event happening nearby this morning but couldn't remember of any.

A worn out Jasper dragged himself into the kitchen. "Damn, it was hell at the market this morning. We had double the amount of the orders we usually had in the morning. I think it had something to do with Edward. There were so many women this morning." Jasper looked tired but had a jolly grin on his face.

"Well that's a good thing. I'm sure it helped Edward boost his confidence working his first day." I smiled and said to Jasper.

"Yeah. I can't wait to have him on the floor in the Café. I think I'm going to take a picture of him and put him on our web site. I'll let you know if we get more hits. Maybe I'll design a wallpaper with his pictures so people can download." Jasper said and chuckled.

"Jazz, you're idea sounds like something Emmett would come up with. Shame on you. Edward's not a sparkling new toy for us to play with!" I said to Jasper but the thought of Edward and the word toy made me think of naughty things I could do with him. I felt myself blush again.

"Bella, your face is still red. Are you sure you're feeling all right?" Edward came into the kitchen with a big smile on his face but as soon as he saw me his face turned into a worried look.

Jasper chuckled. "She's not sick. She was just reacting to something I said. I corrupted her mind. I'm sure it's something she wouldn't want to divulge with you." Jasper said with a teasing tone.

Edward raised his eyebrow at me teasingly. I shrugged at him and Edward chuckled.

"Great job, Edward. You handled the customers really well. Go see Rosalie in the Café so that she can coach you how to work the floor." Jasper said to Edward.

Edward turned around and walked briskly towards the Café. "Stop checking out his ass." Jasper chuckled.

"I did not check his ass out." I said a little too loud. Edward turned his head back and smirked at me. I blushed crimson. If there was a hole here, I wanted to bury myself in it.

Jasper laughed really loud and Kate, Irina, and Seth our part-timer joined him. Even though they were laughing at me it felt good. Everyone was in a great mood, things flowed more smoothly, and we even made more profit all possibly thanks to Edward. He deserved a treat and I planned to surprise him with a panini filled with porchetta, avocado, roma tomatoes, and bufala mozzarella with my special spicy chili aurora sauce for lunch.

I wanted to have a chat with Edward without interference from anyone. Not only because I was attracted to him but I just wanted to get to know him better and I wanted him to get to know me better as well. I knew what it felt like to jump into a totally different environment. It happened to me several times. The first time was when I moved from Phoenix to Forks, the second time from Forks to New York, then to Italy and back to New York. I wondered if Edward's amnesia aided in adjusting or made things worse for him. He must be used to dealing with the fear of the unknown. My heart ached when I thought of his amnesia. It couldn't be easy on him. I wasn't sure what I could do for him but I was determined to do something for him.

In order to do something for him I needed him to trust me. Trust doesn't happen overnight so I need to build up on it. I needed to become his friend first.

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**A/N**

Thank you for reading my story! I'm sorry it's a bit short but I promise to update again on Tuesday! **Please leave a review**! Next chapter Edward and Bella spends a little time alone!


	4. Chapter 4 Picnic in the park

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of the story.

**IT** is the property of Stephen King and all the respective owners.

**Chapter 4 Picnic in the park **

**Characters: Bella, Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper**

**Bella POV**

The lunch hour rush was finally over and I finally got enough time to prepare Edward's treat. I told Rose I wanted to take Edward out to lunch and she loved the idea. She told me that she'll let Edward know and to come and see me at 3 p.m.

We were all used to not being able to take a lunch break until late afternoon and I hoped Edward was feeling all right. Some people got sick when they were too hungry. It was his first day so I was sure he didn't snack on anything. I made a mental note to make sure I fed him something little throughout the day so that he'd sustain his energy. We all took little breaks here and there and ate a bite of something. I usually had a basket in the staff room with baked goods for that purpose. I wasn't sure if anyone mentioned that to Edward.

Edward came to see me at 3 p.m. I had already packed a thermos of coffee, bottled water, thermos of fresh squeezed orange juice, cookies, and my special panini. I told Edward to go change from the T shirt with our Café logo to his regular clothes and to meet me outside the back door. I picked up a blanket that I always used and the picnic basket and waited for him outside. Edward came out of the door and tilted his head looking confused when he saw me with a blanket and a picnic basket.

"I'm taking you to my favorite spot in central park. I go there often on my breaks." I smiled and said to him.

He held out his hand and took the blanket and the picnic basket from me. We walked to the park and I led him to my favorite spot.

"Don't tell anyone about this place okay? It's our secret. I'd hate to have to find another spot to take a break." I said to Edward and he nodded smiling.

He spread the blanket and I sat down and took the food and drinks out of the basket. "I heard you did an awesome job this morning so I wanted to treat you with my special panini."

"Wow, you really didn't have to do that. I was only doing my job but thank you. It means a lot to me."

"I hope you like porchetta. The panini has porchetta, avocado, roma tomatoes, and bufala mozzarella with my special spicy aurola sauce."

"Mmmm. I can't wait to taste it. It sounds heavenly." Edward said and rubbed his stomach.

For a few minutes Edward silently ate the panini. I didn't want to disturb him as he looked like he was really enjoying it and didn't want to interrupt him with my small talk.

"Oops. I'm sorry. The panino was so good I totally forgot where I was and that I wasn't alone. I'm sorry for being such a bad company." Edward said apologetically.

"Oh don't be silly. You looked like you were really enjoying it so I just didn't want to bother you." I chuckled.

"I didn't want to be late so I skipped breakfast this morning. I know now never to skip breakfast. I was so starved." Edward said and laughed.

"If you ever get hungry, there's always a basket of baked goods in the staff room so feel free to munch on them but make sure to have a big breakfast before you come to work though. The cookies and bars aren't there to replace breakfast. It's really important to eat a full breakfast so that your mind and body has fuel to function properly. Make a sandwich before you go to bed if you're too tired to cook in the morning. We sometimes have leftovers for staff to take home too." I said and Edward nodded.

"Was becoming a chef your dream job as a child?" Edward asked.

"I wanted to become an author when I was young. Cooking came as a necessity for me at first. My parents divorced when I was young and I went to live with my mother. My mother couldn't cook. I had to learn to feed myself at an early age. I started to experiment with food and bought a lot of cookbooks. My mother took me out to eat as often as possible and let me try all sorts of international food. That's when I discovered my love for cooking. Then my Mom remarried so I went to live with my Dad in Forks my junior year in high school. They didn't have many places to go and eat out and my father couldn't cook at all so I kept up cooking for my Dad and his friends. After I started taking some food I made to the Cullens they thought I had a talent in cooking. That's sort of the short version of why I became a chef." I answered Edward.

"It's great you found your passion in life at such an early age."

"If it weren't for Esme and Carlisle I don't think I would have realized I had a talent in cooking. I owe it all to them." I smiled and said to Edward.

"You must be pursued by a lot of restaurant owners and hotels." Edward said to me.

"I have a fair share of them but I'm not interested. I love what I do, I love our patrons and I love working with the Cullens. I'm sure if I told Emmett I want to expand the menu, he would let me, but I'm satisfied with just having few daily specials where I can be creative. Our café isn't fancy but it's a sure thing. Our patrons don't come to us looking for something really original but they come to us knowing whatever they choose they won't go wrong. That is important to me. I want our patrons to feel comfortable selecting anything off our menu."

"Thank you for lunch. The panino was amazing. That special spicy aurola sauce was superb!" Edward flashed his dazzling smile.

"I'm really glad you enjoyed it. Just don't tell Emmett cuz he'll get really jealous. He loves my special panino." I said and laughed.

"Scouts honor. Although I have no idea if I was ever a boy scout." Edward chuckled. I didn't know how to react to that. I wasn't sure if it was okay to smile nor not. "Hey, I'm sorry. I meant it as a joke. I didn't mean to make you feel awkward." Edward said and squeezed my hand.

I don't know what it was but when he squeezed my hand I felt some kind of energy course through me from his hand. As soon as I felt it I looked up into his eyes and he was also looked at me as if he also felt what I did. We let go immediately and I quickly changed the subject.

"So, how are you adjusting to New York?"

"I've only been here a week but so far all has been good. The condo is amazing. I feel bad that I get to live in such an awesome place. It even has a health club, sauna, swimming pool, and 24 hr concierge service and security. It's like living in a hotel."

"Emmett loved that place but it was only 1 bedroom so when he got married he let Alice move in there. Then Jasper didn't want to live apart from Alice so he let go of his place and moved in with her. Emmett still owns the place and doesn't want to give it up so it's actually a really good thing that you're living there now. He now has an excuse not to sell that place. I know Alice left most of her furniture, draperies, and bedding. I assume you're sleeping in that pink walled bedroom with pink frilly curtains and floral bedding." I chuckled.

"It took me a little while to get used to all the pink. It's all right though. The sheets and the towels feel amazing." Edward laughed.

"Oh I know they are. I used to spend the night there sometimes. Alice is very selective about the things that touch her skin. She was so excited when she furnished that place. You probably would have liked it better if it was left the way Emmett had but Alice tossed everything that was there. Rosalie wouldn't let Emmett take his stuff to their new place so." I laughed and Edward joined.

"Other than the accommodation is everything going well for you?"

"It's good. I don't feel so out of place. There are so many foreigners and people from other states living here I don't feel like I stand out. I feel I could make this place my home." Edward smiled and said.

"I know what you mean about not feeling out of place. When I first came here I felt like I was going to drown in this big city because I came from a very small town but once I got used to it and realized that a lot of people weren't originally from New York either I felt comfortable. I wouldn't mind settling here. My mother and my step father lives in Florida now so that's definitely not my home since I've never lived there. My father lives in Forks but that place doesn't feel like home to me either. I only go back to Forks because of my father. If home is where the heart is, then my home is New York. My heart is definitely here in New York. I'm not trying to trivialize nor say that I understand what it feels like not remembering where home is, but I certainly hope you can make New York your home."

"Thank you for sharing that with me. It means a lot to me." Edward said and smiled.

"I have some chores to run so I'll meet you back at the Café okay?" I said to Edward.

"All right. Thank you so much for lunch and for being such a great company. I really had a great time." Edward said and picked up the picnic basket and blanket and headed back towards the Café.

**Rosalie POV **

I couldn't stop smiling when I saw Edward return from lunch with Bella. He looked really happy. I could tell from the look on his face that they had a great time.

"What are you smiling at Rosie?" Emmett asked me.

"Nothing babe. Nothing."

"Oh I know that look Rosie. It's far from nothing. Why are you smiling like that at Edward? What are you scheming?"

"I'm not scheming anything. I'm just happy that there is a perfect guy for Bella right under our noses."

"Leave them alone Rosie. Don't mess with them. Especially Edward. He needs to deal with things on his own time. He's not ready for any kind of relationship. They guy has memory loss, lived in a foreign country for years and finally made it back to the U.S., he needs friends. He needs to adjust first. He needs to feel at home. Do this for me Rosie. He's a great guy. I like him. I want him to be around for a very long time. If Bella and Edward are meant to be it will happen naturally. Don't force it. It's only going to harm Bella and Edward. Bella is special to all of us and soon Edward will be special to all of us too."

"Stop being so over protective. I don't plan on hurting either of them. Bella is like a sister to me. I like Edward too. I only assisted Bella because she asked for it."

"What do you mean she asked for your help?"

"Well she didn't exactly ask for my help per se, but she wanted to take Edward out to lunch so I made sure Edward got a break at the time Bella wanted him. That's all. I didn't meddle in their business."

"They went to lunch together?"

"Yeah, Bella packed a lunch and they went out. Probably to central park."

"What did she make for him? Do you know if she made something for me?"

"I don't think so. There is nothing left on her station. She packed everything she made."

"Dang. That's so not fair. Why is he the only one who gets special treatment?" Emmett pouted.

"Stop acting like a child. She cooked for him cuz she already feels something towards him. She just doesn't know it yet. You'll see it. Just watch them and you'll know that I'm not meddling with their business. They're already being drawn to each other." I explained to Emmett.

"Yup. I agree with Rosalie. It's really funny actually. They both keep looking at the kitchen door every time it opens. You should see Bella's face when Edward enters into the kitchen and vice versa. It's so obvious they are attracted to each other. No one needs to be as perceptive as my Alice to notice the feelings already there for each other. All we really have to do is just wait for them to realize it themselves." Jasper said as he joined us by the counter.

"Don't stare at them though. You are horrible at being sneaky." I said to Emmett.

"I'm working on being stealthy. It's not easy when you are my size." Emmett pouted like a small child.

"Sucks to be grizzly size." Jasper laughed.

"Shuddup Jasper. Not everyone gets to be Oompa Loompa size like Alice." Emmett said and laughed.

"Don't let her catch you mentioning Oompa Loompa. She hates them as much as she hates clowns after she saw 'IT'."

"Oh I don't blame her. I can never see clowns the way I used to after I saw 'IT'." I agreed and said to Jasper.

"I've never seen that movie. Let's have movie night after work tonight at my place and we can all watch that movie together." Emmett suggested.

"Oh you are soooo not bringing that evil thing into our home. You'll have to watch it at Bella's, Jasper's, or at Edward's." I said to Emmett.

"Alice would never allow it either. You'll have to ask Bella or Edward." Jasper said to Emmett.

"For crying out loud! It's just a movie." Emmett scowled.

"It won't be just a movie after you are through with it." I said to Emmett.

Bella returned to the Café while we argued on where to have movie night. "Hey Bells, can we have movie night at your place tonight?" Emmett asked Bella.

"I guess. I won't get a chance to prepare anything so we'll have to order take-out though. If that's okay with you all. Sure. We can have movie night at my place." Bella replied not knowing what Emmett wanted to watch.

**Edward POV **

Emmett told me that they were having movie night at Bella's place tonight and asked me to join them. I had no reason to turn him down and the thought of getting to see Bella's place piqued my interest.

I got directions from Emmett and got to Bella's place. Jasper let me in and told me that Bella was running a little late. I hadn't seen Bella when we were cleaning up so it seemed odd that she wasn't home yet. It was also odd that we were all at her place when she wasn't even home yet. They all really acted like a family. I guessed Emmett or Jasper had keys to Bella's.

"Didn't Bella leave early tonight? Was she here when you guys got here?" I asked Jasper.

I saw Jasper smirk. Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have let him know I noticed that. "Bella left early to buy desserts for movie night. There's a place called Billy's bakery. Their red velvet cake and banana cake is really awesome. Just for safety reasons since Bella lives alone, Emmett has the keys to this place."

I felt embarrassed that I paid so much attention to Bella so I quickly changed the subject. "Couldn't we just purchase some of the cakes from the market?" I asked Jasper.

"Bella's cakes are awesome too but she wanted you to try the cakes from Billy's bakery. Emmett is a huge fan of their cakes too so he had no problem she left before we finished clean up. She works too many hours anyway. It's good that she leaves early sometimes."

"Hey, I could use some help here." Emmett yelled from the kitchen. I saw him scooping food from the Chinese take-out cartons. "Bella doesn't like passing the carton around and picking food out of it together." Emmett said and laughed.

"I wouldn't want to eat out of the carton where your filthy spoon was in too." Jasper said and Emmett punched him on his arm. It was fun watching the two brothers tease each other. I sometimes wondered if I had siblings although I was pretty sure I was an only child. I don't have any memory of having a brother or a sister.

"Where are Rosalie and Alice?" I asked them since I noticed they weren't here yet.

Emmett and Jasper grinned at each other. "They aren't joining us because of the movie we're watching. Bella never asked what we were watching so that's why she's letting us have movie night here. If she knew we were watching a horror movie that might give her nightmares she wouldn't have let us." Emmett replied.

I instantly regretted joining them tonight. Now I was an accomplice since I know we may be watching something she might freak out over. "What are we watching exactly?" I raised my eyebrow and asked Emmett.

Jasper answered me instead of Emmett. "We're watching 'IT' because Emmett's never seen it."

I scowled after hearing what we were watching. I wasn't a fan of that movie. I enjoy horror movies but Pennywise freaked me out. There were so many wrongs in that movie. I won't go as far as say I have coulrophobia but that psycho clown gave me the chills. I had no idea how Bella would react when she found out what movie we were watching. I've never seen Bella angry or upset yet and I hoped I wouldn't have to witness it tonight.

***************

**A/N **

Thank you for reading my story. I hope you liked this chapter. Please leave me a review and let me know how you thought.

Thank you for the author alerts, favorites, story alerts and reviews. I really appreciate it. I'm not sure how many of you are already reading my other story, Amor Vincit Omnia. If you haven't, please have a look. If you go to my profile and scroll all the way down, there is a tab labeled as "My stories" and there you'll find the link to Amor Vincit Omnia. It's about three quarters through with the story so you'll get to enjoy many chapters at once. I hope you like it.


	5. Chapter 5 Movie Night

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot of the story.

**IT** is the property of Stephen King and all the respective owners.

**Drag me to hell** is the property of Sam Raimi, Universal Pictures and all the respective owners.

**Chapter 5 Movie Night**

**Characters: Bella, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Edward **

**Edward POV**

"Hey guys! So what's for dinner?" Bella asked as she walked through the door.

"The usual. Mapo Dofu, Beef with broccoli, Chicken with cashew nuts, Sesame chicken, pork buns, fried won ton, egg rolls, hot and sour soup, Ten ingredients fried rice, pan fried noodles, and the 10 ingredients lo mein." Emmett said to Bella.

"Yum! I'm just gonna get changed quickly. Em, Don't eat it all. Leave some for me." She giggled and left for her bedroom. "What are we watching tonight?" Bella asked as she walked into the living room dressed in yoga pants and a comfortable looking worn out sweatshirt.

"Horror movie. Stephen King." Emmett replied quickly. As if saying the words quickly would stop her from asking more about it.

"Is it scary? It better not be as scary like 'Drag me to hell'. I felt sick to my stomach every time I remembered scenes from that movie." Bella said and shivered. Whatever that movie she saw must have really had an impact on her.

"Yeah. That movie was scary. Alice had nightmares for several nights after we all saw that movie. I'm nicer to elderly ladies now. I throw in extra cookies these days." Jasper said and Emmett laughed.

"It's no joke Emmett. You never know." Bella said and placed something into Emmett's hand.

"Oh my gosh, it's my button. I lost it last week! Bella, this isn't funny!" Emmett shrieked.

I was really confused at what went on. I had no idea what they were talking about.

"Ah, I see. You've never seen 'Drag me to hell'. It's a movie about this old lady who curses a loan officer using a button belonging to the loan officer because she wouldn't extend her loan. I have nothing but praise for Sam Raimi's work in that movie. It scared the bejesus out of me. You should see it sometime." Jasper said and chuckled.

"Don't take his stupid advice. Don't watch it alone. We were all freaked out and grossed out throughout the movie." Bella said and rubbed her arm as she shivered.

"Wow it must have been one helluva movie to get such reaction out of you all." I said to them.

"Let's eat before we start the movie. I don't want to lose my appetite." Bella suggested and we all agreed.

When we were almost done eating Jasper got a call from Alice and said he had to leave to go help Alice. Evidently the security system at Alice's boutique malfunctioned and she couldn't set the alarm. She was scared to wait for the repairman alone at the boutique so Jasper quickly said goodbyes and left.

"Well this is better. If it gets too scary and you pee in your pants I'm sure Edward wouldn't tell anyone. If Jazz stayed he would've told Alice and then the whole world would know." Emmett said to Bella and laughed.

Emmett made himself comfortable on the recliner and Bella sat beside me on the couch after she popped the DVD in the player. When the Title screen came up and the background music started to play I felt Bella shifting closer to me. Bella held a cushion to her chest and saw that she held it tighter when Pennywise appeared on the screen when he showed himself to the little girl on the tricycle.

"Stupid stupid Georgie. Stop talking to the freakin clown when you know you're not supposed to talk to strangers. You said your Dad told you not to yourself!" Emmett yelled at the screen. When I looked to my right I saw that Bella was frozen in motion wide eyed at the screen. She didn't even look like she was breathing.

"Breathe Bella." I said to her and she took a quick breath with her eyes still glued to the screen.

"No. Georgie! Don't listen to Pennywise. There's no cotton candy and fries and all sorts of surprises there! He's lying to lure you in." Bella yelled at the screen.

I was getting a kick out of watching them interact with the movie. If this was what their movie night consisted of, I was sure I'd want to be included every movie night.

"When you're with me Georgie, you'll float." Pennywise said to Georgie on the screen and as soon as those wicked sharp teeth appeared on Pennywise Bella screamed and jumped into my lap but her eyes didn't leave the screen. I wasn't sure what to do with my arms. She clung to my shirt but kept watching the movie. I worried a little that Bella almost seemed like she was hyperventilating. I wrapped my arms around her and gently rubbed her arm.

"Are they all stupid? Forget a childhood promise. Don't go back to that frickin town you imbeciles. Who cares if IT came back!" Emmet yelled at the screen. I had a hard time not laughing at them. "That Beverly girl is so you, Bella." Emmett said.

"Oh? Then you are that fat boy then?" Bella laughed.

"Aww I'm hurt." Emmett stuck his tongue out at Bella.

"Is this movie like a creepy version of 'Stand by Me?'" Bella laughed.

"I'm not sure but the movie 'Stand by Me' is based on Stephen King's novel, 'The Body'," I told Bella.

"Stupid kid. He knows his Dad is dead. What's with all the balloons and the whole obsession about 'They float. You float too'," Emmett mumbled at the screen again.

"I don't know how much more of this clown crap I can take." Bella shivered and buried her face in my chest. I rather enjoyed it but worried that she might hear my heart thumping faster and louder.

"Oh look, see, I told ya that Beverly girl was you. She even has balls and violent boyfriend." Emmett laughed.

Violent boyfriend? Did Bella have a history of being abused by an ex-boyfriend? I guess I really didn't know much about her yet. What Emmett just said didn't sit with me right.

"Shuddup Emmett. They weren't even my boyfriend. They were delusional. They only thought they were," Bella said and scowled at Emmett.

"What about Jacob then? You attract all kinds of people with anger issues." Emmett chuckled.

"Shuddup and watch the movie. Don't listen to him Edward, Emmett's being an idiot."

"Aww. That fatboy is in love with Beverly. He even writes poetry. That is soooo not me. What? Eddie spaghetti? That kid with asthma's nickname is Eddie Spaghetti. Oh we sooo have a nickname for our Eddie boy here!" Emmett laughed and I scowled at him.

"I'm gonna go make coffee and bring the cupcakes. You boys keep watching the movie. I've had enough of clown watching to last a lifetime." Bella said and got off my lap and headed to the kitchen. I instantly felt a loss when I no longer felt the warmth that emanated from Bella. It felt so comfortable having Bella curled in my lap. I watched her walk to the kitchen and when I turned around I found Emmett smirking at me.

I wasn't sure what that smirk was for. I shrugged it off and kept watching the movie with Emmett occasionally laughing at the comments he threw at the characters on screen.

Bella returned with the drinks and the cupcakes. "Which one do ya want Eddie Spaghetti?" Emmett said to me.

"Stop acting like a five year old, Emmett." Bella said and slapped him on his head.

"Stop being a spoil sport Belly Button." Emmett said and winked at Bella.

"Oh, BB and Belly stands for Belly Button? I wondered what BB meant when I heard you guys call her BB." I said to Bella.

"Yeah. Emmett hasn't grown out of nicknaming people." Bella narrowed her eyes at Emmett.

We kept the movie running while we ate the cupcakes but none of us paid attention to it anymore. We even started talking about all the things that happened at the Café today.

"What are the dinner specials for tomorrow?" Emmett asked Bella.

"Crab stuffed filet mignon with peppercorn and brandy sauce, Spinach gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce, Chicken breast stuffed with ricotta and parmesan cheese smothered in creamy tomato sauce, and tuna with lemon, herbs, and garlic butter sauce."

"Mmm. I wish I was a customer. Oh I almost forgot to ask you. How come he got lunch and I didn't?" Emmett said to Bella and pouted.

Bella laughed. "It's cuz you've had plenty of my home cooked meal over the years and Edward hasn't. He also doesn't give stupid nicknames."

"The nicknames I choose aren't stupid. They are terms of endearment."

The movie ended and we headed towards the door. Bella grabbed me and handed me a brown bag with a plastic container in it. I wasn't sure what it was but Bella brought a finger to her lips and signaled to be quiet about it. I nodded and mouthed her, "thank you."

I caught a cab and headed back to my place. In the cab I looked inside the brown paper bag Bella gave me. Inside was a Tupperware filled with something that looked like Loco Moco consisting of rice, hamburger patty, fried egg and brown gravy. Bella must have remembered that unless she gave me something I probably would have skipped breakfast tomorrow since I was getting home late because of the movie night. I had wondered what that good smell was while Bella was in the kitchen when Emmett and I watched the movie without her.

I set my alarm clock as soon as I got back home and slipped into bed immediately after I took my clothes off. I wanted to be at the Café before anyone else arrived like I did this morning. Maybe Bella will be the next to arrive. I smiled while I recalled what happened today. Today was a great day. I really enjoyed it fully.

**Emmett POV**

Rosie ran to the door and hugged me when I got home. I instantly thought I was going to get lucky tonight but realized the huge smile wasn't for me. The first words out of her mouth were, "so how did the lovebirds act?" No "I love you" nor "I missed you". All she wanted to know were about what happened between Edward and Bella.

"I'll tell you all about them in bed. Let me take a quick shower first." I expected Rosie to be waiting up for me to hear all about what happened so it was no surprise but at least she could have greeted me for crying out loud.

When I got to the bedroom, Rosie was tucked in bed with a big smile on her face. She was giddy like a teenager. She looked really excited to hear what happened. I no longer felt frustrated at her. She looked beautiful when she was happy. I loved it when I made her happy. Even if the smile wasn't for me or for something I did I still loved it when she smiled.

"Hurry, hurry. I can't wait to hear what happened." Rosie said and bounced on the bed. She acted more like Alice than herself that minute.

"Well the movie was freakin scary. Bella was in Edward's lap clinging on to him during the movie till she couldn't take it any longer and left for the kitchen. Edward's eyes kept following her. I kinda slipped and mentioned Jacob and the delusional stalkers. Edward looked worried when I mentioned them and looked like he wanted to know more about Bella. When Bella left his lap to go to the kitchen he looked like he lost something really precious. I'm jealous of him. Bella gave him food before we left. She didn't make anything for me again!"

"Oh bummer. I should have been there. I soooo wanted to see them together. We need to plan another movie night."

I admit they did look cute and comfortable together. "I think it was good that the movie was freakin scary. There was no hesitation on Bella to jump into his lap. That would not have happened if the movie wasn't scary. We stopped paying attention to the movie though. I wished you were there. I felt like a third wheel."

"Aww. Sorry babe. You did good. I'm sure all that happened tonight wouldn't have happened if you weren't there. I am absolutely sure they wouldn't have had a movie night if it were just the two of them. Where was Jasper? You didn't mention him at all."

"Alice's boutique had security malfunction so Jazz needed to bail to go rescue her."

"Oh. Maybe you should call him to ask if he's coming tomorrow morning. If not I need you there." Rosie said to me and I thanked her for noticing that. It would have been bad if Jazz didn't show up since I hadn't planned on showing up tomorrow morning.

When I called Jazz he sounded really tired but mentioned that he'll come in tomorrow morning but I told him I could cover for him instead. I was the only one who hadn't witnessed Edward in action in the morning. Jazz was really hyped up about it and that he was sure the reason we did so well in the morning was all due to Edward's lady magnet. I could hardly wait till morning came. Edward was a breath of fresh air and had brought a smile and excitement to all of us. He brought on change that the business needed, and the change that we all needed. I was glad that the decision I made to offer Edward to come work for us was the best decision I had made in a long time.

**A/N **

I hope you liked the chapter! Please leave a review and let me know!


	6. Chapter 6 Dinner with Bella

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot of this story.

**Chapter 6 Dinner with Bella**

**Characters: Edward, Bella, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice**

**Emmett POV **

In the morning when Rosie and I got to the back door of the Café, we both saw Edward standing by the door. He must have heard our footsteps since he turned around with a big smile on his face. It didn't go past me that his smile fell when he saw that it was us. Rosie chuckled. She must have noticed that the huge smile was for Bella and not for us too.

"Good morning Eddie Spaghetti!" I said to Edward and laughed.

"Good morning boss man." Edward replied and chuckled. I really enjoyed having Edward around. He had this very calming laid back attitude. I kind of assumed the laid back attitude was maybe part of a defense mechanism. He probably had to force himself to be laid back otherwise he would be freaking out most of the time because so many of the things around him would be new to him because of his amnesia. I can't even begin to imagine what it felt like to not remember much about your past and almost everything felt new or felt like it was something you've done before but don't remember actually having experienced it.

We all started to set up the front of the market. Bella arrived about 10 minutes after us.

"Morning peeps!" Bella smiled and waved at us before she headed back into the kitchen.

Rosalie came near me and whispered into my ear. "She looked really happy this morning and she is far from a morning person." Rosalie chuckled.

Within minutes I started to smell the aroma of eggs and bread being toasted. She always had a cup of coffee to feel at peace before she started cooking but since she skipped coffee she really must have expected to do the same amount of sales this morning too.

I decided I also needed to get my act together and get the stand set up immediately since I noticed there were 5 high school girls lined up in front of the market already. We rarely had high school girls drop by to buy our breakfast sandwiches. The girls were giddy and pointing towards Edward in their conversation although Edward was oblivious to it. They were cute catholic school girls in their short checkered skirts, high socks, blazer, and a ribbon. They were the epitome of naughty high school girls. Who wouldn't notice them? I've seen the way Edward looked at Bella so I was sure he wasn't gay. I touched my jaw to make sure it wasn't hanging open and that I hadn't drooled. I looked around to make sure Rosie hadn't caught me gaping at them.

"We probably need to open up earlier this morning too. Look there's more than 10 girls now. Geez! Since when do we attract the girls from Covenant of the Sacred Heart, Nightingale-Bamford, and Marymount? I can't tell which school the other ones go to since they aren't wearing uniform." Rosie gaped at the girls.

"They must be tweeting babe. I think I vaguely recall Jazz mentioning he updated our Myspace and Twitter page."

"Wow. Well I'm gonna go tell Bella the market needs to be open now so we can rid the girls quick. We'd better not be the cause of the girls getting to school late and we don't want any warning from the police." Rosalie said and headed towards the kitchen.

**Bella POV**

"Bella, we need to open the market up ASAP!" I heard Rosalie as she hurried into the kitchen.

"It's still early Rose."

"Can't wait. Gossip girls are lining up front."

"Huh?"

"We've got teenage girls lined up front swooning over Edward. They probably won't leave until they buy something from him so that they could see him face to face."

"Oh my gosh. I have to see this." I said and asked Kate to cover for me for a minute.

I ran into the market half way to see what was going on. Edward noticed me and waved at me smiling. I instantly regretted showing up. The minute Edward smiled and waved at me, the teenage hyenas upfront sent daggers with their eyes at me. I waved at Edward quickly and ran back into the kitchen.

Kate, Irina and I worked as fast as we could so that we could open the market up. "Rosie, I thought those girls had maids that cooked breakfast for them. What are they doing at our establishment?"

"Bella, you're watching too much Gossip Girl." Rosalie laughed and headed into the Café.

Are they really here for Edward? A mob of teenagers could be very scary, but hungry Edward swooning teenage girls were scarier. I hoped they wouldn't remember my face. I sooo didn't want my butt kicked and face clawed by a bunch of teenage girls. Once the wave of the teenagers passed, Rose came back to the kitchen to tell me that we now had another wave consisting of office working ladies.

"Emmett must be really thrilled things are really working out with Edward. I bet in just these two days the sales we made added up to more than what we made for breakfast last week at the market. I hope the girls keep coming back. Things are usually slow around this time of the year so whatever Edward's doing that's attracting more people are definitely welcome!" I said to Rosalie.

"Yeah. Emmett's in his office ordering more grocery so that we won't run out. We've used up almost all what we intended to use in the market for the week."

While I chatted with Rosalie I started to get more and more orders from the Café. "Rose I gotta let you go I can't concentrate on cooking while I'm talking to you. Why the hell are we getting so much order from the Café?" I said to Rose.

"Oh, that's cuz Edward's working the floor right now. The market crowd seemed to calm down so I sent him to the Café. You should see the mommies drooling over him. He has them completely dazzled. It's actually embarrassing to the woman kind that so many of them are susceptible to his charm." Rosalie chuckled.

"Wow, we're even getting the mommies now? I thought the upper eastside mommies only go to chic cafés with their beautiful babies in their posh strollers."

"Evidently Edward changed their rules. Belly, I think we need to come up with a new menu to keep them interested though. We might as well take advantage of the situation while we can."

"What? Like something posh to keep having them come back to the café? We should also decide on what to do over the weekend at the market. We don't do the breakfast stands over the weekend but maybe the girls would show up? Maybe we can think of something new to do for the mornings at the market on weekends." I suggested to Rosalie.

"Hmm. Sounds like a great idea, but what sorts of new things do you have on your mind?"

"You can think of what to do for the ladies in the café but for the market maybe we could sell Zeppole and Struffala at the stands during the weekend?"

"What's a Zeppole?"

"Remember those little donuts I sometimes make for you guys? They're best served hot. Fry'em and dust powdered sugar or cinnamon and granulated sugar. Struffala are dipped in honey and sprayed with sprinkles."

"You know, that's an excellent idea! We could use the fryers in the market. It doesn't even have to be just in the morning, we could even do it from morning till tea time on the weekend. We could probably attract people going to or coming back from a stroll in the park. I'll talk to Emmett and we can all have a little brain storming session right after we close. I'm excited! We haven't had a chance to try anything new since we started the breakfast stand." Rosalie said excitedly and ran to Emmett's office.

I realized that my suggestion meant that I had extra work to do. I'd have to train someone to make great donuts so it's not just me who can make them. The day went by quickly and word travelled to everyone that we were thinking of selling Zeppoli on the weekend and everyone seemed to be really excited about it.

After close up, we all sat in the Café and discussed the idea of selling Zeppoli and Struffoli on the weekends. Even Alice joined us for our brain storming session.

"I have an idea! I think we should quickly make some flyers and pass it out before the weekend. Jazz and I can design a flyer. Bella can make a sample and we'll take a picture to place on the flyer. You all just have to tell us how much you want to charge for them so we can print the price of the Zeppole. I can even design T-shirts to wear at the stand for it. Oh it'll be so cute!" Alice said and jumped clapping her hands excitedly.

Everyone seemed to be really keen on the idea. "I need to train someone so that it's not just me who can make them if they become a bit hit. I couldn't just be making the donuts from morning till late afternoon. I have to cook for the Café too." I raised my concern.

"Would it be too hard for me to try?" Edward said to me.

"It's not hard. It just takes a little practice. I'll make the batter so that part shouldn't be a problem." I said to Edward.

"You know, I wouldn't mind learning to make them either." Emmett said and smiled excitedly.

"All right then. That settles it. Bella, you can train Edward and Emmett, that way you, Kate, and Irina wouldn't have to disrupt your routine during the weekend." Jasper said.

"Let's take a vote. All in favor raise your hand," Jasper said and everyone raised their hand.

"Well that was simple!" Rosalie said and everyone laughed.

"So Bella, you can start training Edward and I from tomorrow. You have a few days for us to perfect it." Emmett said and grinned.

"Sounds good to me. Just be prepared that you all have to eat the fugly donuts these boys mess up making." I said and laughed.

"Alice, their T-shirt needs to be long sleeved so that they don't burn themselves." I said to Alice and she nodded back to me.

"You think you can come up with a T-shirt and flyer design by the end of the day tomorrow?" Emmett asked Alice.

"Well Bella will need to make the donuts tomorrow morning so that I can take a picture of it and give it to Alice." Jasper said.

"Okay. I can do that tomorrow after the morning rush is over." I said to Jasper.

Everyone rushed out of the Café to go home as soon as the meeting was over. I thought I was the last one when Emmett yelled to me to lock up. I almost screamed when I ran into Edward standing by the door.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Oh that's okay. I just assumed I was the last one left since Em told me to lock up." I said to Edward.

"I didn't want to leave you alone to lock up especially since you were in the staff room when we were all leaving and the alarm wasn't set yet so."

"Thanks for looking out for me." I smiled.

"I wouldn't want you to get hurt. Plus you're going to teach me to make Zeppole tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it." He smiled.

"Hey, do you wanna grab something to eat?" I asked Edward.

"Sure. Where would you like to go? You'll have to choose."

"Wanna go to a diner? I'm kinda in the mood for milkshakes."

"Sure Bella, that sounds great." Edward said and smiled at me.

"We'll go to Big Daddy's then. They're open 24 hrs and they even have tater tots."

**Edward POV**

I was thrilled Bella asked to grab a bite with me. When we arrived at the diner all I could do was smile. The diner was 50's themed decorated with Coca-Cola and other memorabilia. The vinyl seats were blue and pink along with the tables. There were colorful balloons tied to the lights.

"So, what's good here?" I asked her.

"Tater tots, veggie chili, fried chicken, mac n' cheese, and the shakes are awesome. The shakes use Haagen Dazs ice-cream. Not the cheapy, watery, icy kind."

"That sounds really good. Wanna order those and share?"

"Awesome. Since Emmett's not here I was wondering how I would manage to eat a little of everything." I said and smiled at Edward.

"Which shake do you want? Lucy in the blue sky, The Frozen Black Cow, Barbie blast fruit shake, black and white cookie shake, or Cookie Monster shake me Love?"

"Definitely the Cookie Monster Shake Me Love!" Bella said and giggled.

I ordered the food and sat back and relaxed breathing in the atmosphere. It was loud with the drunks in the back but I liked it here. I suddenly felt dizzy and was blasted with a memory from my childhood.

"Edward? Edward? Earth to Edward!" I heard Bella as she shook my arm.

"Sorry. Um I just remembered something. There's a place like this somewhere. I was a kid and I was wearing a paper hat. Orange writing. Deb vic's? I think that's what was printed on the paper hat." I said to Bella. I still felt a little fuzzy.

"Oh my gosh, Edward! You just remembered something really major. You ate at Ed Debevic's when you were a child. Ed Debevic's are only in Illinois. You probably went to the one in Chicago. So it's probably true you grew up in Chicago or atleast we now know you have been there. I've been to Ed Debevic's many times. I'll bring you some pictures tomorrow." Bella said and I was stunned.

This was a real breakthrough for me. I've been remembering a lot of things from my childhood especially since I came here to the U.S. None of the memories actually pin pointed a location until now.

"Thanks Bella. If you didn't bring me here, I wouldn't have remembered and if you weren't here with me I probably wouldn't have paid attention to describe what the paper hat said."

"Wow, I'm excited for you but are you all right? Do you feel okay? No headaches or dizziness? I mean I don't know what happens to you when you suddenly remember something from the past but you looked a little pale there for a minute." Bella said with a worried look.

"I'm all right now. I felt a little fuzzy a little while ago. I've been having these flashes of memory a lot. It happens often when I'm at the grocery store. Cereal boxes, candy packaging, pudding cups and items like those have triggered a lot of memory from my childhood. I don't get dizzy unless I have multiple flashes at once so I'm all right." I explained to Bella.

"If you ever get sick when you aren't with us, call me or any one of us okay? I've been living alone for years so I have everyone on speed dial to call when I get sick. Rose and Em's rushed me to the emergency room on several occasions so don't hesitate to call okay?"

"What happened to you?" I asked Bella.

"Nothing major really. I'm a regular at the ER. I tend to slip and fall a lot. The last time I was rushed to the ER, Rose found me unconscious in the kitchen. I slipped as I was opening the fridge door and the handle hit me hard on my head and I fell unconscious." Bella said and laughed.

"Um Bella, I don't think that's a laughing matter. You could've been seriously hurt." I was shocked that she was laughing about it.

"Think about it! It's funny! Who hits their head on a fridge door and go unconscious? Even the nurses were chuckling when I had to explain what happened. Emmett was on the floor laughing holding his stomach at the ER." Bella explained but I still didn't find it funny. Just the thought of Bella being unconscious on the cold kitchen floor gave me the chills.

"Please be careful. I'm surprised Rosalie lets you live alone. She seems to be very protective of you."

"Well actually Alice and I lived together when we first came out to New York until I left for Italy. Our parents didn't want us living alone. I miss those days. It was fun but I enjoy the peace and quiet of living alone now though. It gets lonely sometimes but they're all only a few blocks away so I manage. Rose comes over when Emmett's on a business trip and Alice and Jasper stays in the guestroom when we have a get together sometimes. Alice is usually too drunk to get home. Bring a change of clothing and leave it at my place next time you come over. Everyone has their own drawer in my guest room." Bella said and laughed.

"I think I may take up on that offer." I said and winked at Bella. I'm not sure if she noticed but I saw a faint blush appear on her cheeks and neck.

"Um I was thinking, I need to start training you tomorrow to make the Zeppoli but I need to train you more than Emmett because if we have any kind of problem at the Café or the market Emmett needs to go take care of that so I'll have to count on you alone to deal with making them. Do you think you can come over to my place after work and practice more? Like I said, bring an extra change of clothing and you can just crash at my place so you don't have to go home afterwards." Bella said and blushed. I didn't understand why she blushed but I just let it go.

"That would be really helpful. I was thinking I probably needed to practice at home but Emmett's kitchen doesn't really have the proper kitchen utensils to do much of anything. I don't think Alice cooked much either because there really aren't much of cookware in the cabinets unless she took them when she moved." I said to Bella and she laughed.

"No. They didn't take any cookware or utensils when they moved. They didn't own much. Emmett nor Alice cook. They eat out or take out. Emmett barbecues though. He makes mean ribs. Alice makes awesome cocktails. What's your expertise?"

"I was a bartender so I can mix drinks as but I can make croissants and cream puffs." I smiled and said to Bella.

"Cream puffs? That's too cute, Edward!" Bella giggled.

"I worked in hotels so the patissier taught me how to make croissants and cream puffs. He told me it's a good thing to know to attract the ladies." I said and smirked.

"Wow, that's amazing. Will you make them for me sometimes?" Bella's eyes twinkled.

"I'd be delighted to make them for you, if you could let me use your kitchen." I said and smiled at Bella.

"Mmmm. I can't wait. I love ham and cheese croissant and chocolate croissant. I also love lemon cream puffs." Bella said and licked her lips. Oh she looked so sexy I felt like I was going to lose my mind.

"Any time you want."

"When's your day off? I'm off Monday. Are you off Monday?" Bella said excitedly.

She was so cute. "Monday is perfect. I also have a day off. I have to do laundry first though." I said and chuckled.

"It's a deal! Yay! Oops, we should get going. We have a busy day tomorrow." Bella said and we headed out of the diner.

I was so excited about tomorrow. I get to learn how to make the Zeppoli which would help the market immensely since the market never did anything special on weekends. I could finally pitch in more for the Cullens. I needed to perfect making the Zeppoli. I was thankful Bella offered to coach me after work at her place. I really enjoyed hanging out with Bella. She was warm, caring, and friendly. I've been alone for so many years having the Cullens and Bella in my life now made everything so much brighter. I didn't even realize how empty my life was until now. I also felt this overwhelming desire to want to protect Bella. She was so prone to injuries and so careless. I couldn't count the times I had to catch her before she slipped in the kitchen. The incident she told me about her being unconscious in the kitchen after a fall compounded my need of protecting her. I wasn't even sure how she managed to stay alive until now. They all seemed to think her clumsiness was endearing but have they ever considered that one day something they considered cute and funny could be fatal? I shuddered at the thought and quickly stashed the leftovers from the diner that Bella made me take home with me in the fridge so that I could eat it in the morning before work and headed to my bedroom.

**A/N **

I hope you liked the chapter! They are all starting to bond with Edward and both Edward and Bella are slowly starting to feel the attraction to each other but haven't really realized it yet. Please leave a review!


	7. Chapter 7 Day and Night with Edward

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

This chapter is quite long compared to the other chapters. I hope you enjoy it! Please leave a review!

**Chapter 7 Day and Night with Edward**

**Characters: Bella, Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Tanya, Aro, Kate, Irina, and Marcus**

**Bella POV **

I rushed to the Café as I was ten minutes later than usual. Emmett called me that Rosalie wasn't feeling well this morning so he needed me to unlock the Café instead of them. When I got to the Café Edward was already there leaning on the door. When he heard me run towards the Café he turned around and smiled.

"Good morning Bella."

"Good morning Edward." I smiled back at him.

Luck was never on my side and I tripped right in front of him. I readied myself for the fall but the next moment I realized that I hadn't hit the ground yet. When I opened my eyes I felt myself being lifted back. Edward had caught me before I hit the ground.

"Bella, you really need to be careful." Edward said with a frown on his face.

"Sorry. You kinda need to get used to seeing me flat on my face or on my butt. This is just part of being Bella Swan." I chuckled but he still had a frown on his face.

This morning was even crazier than yesterday. Rosalie and Emmett joined us a few minutes before we flipped the CLOSED sign to OPEN and got in position. Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward took the stand. Jasper volunteered to be the busser to bring the food to the stand from the kitchen instead of Edward since most of the customers were there to meet Edward.

"We're getting more and more girls in line. It's crazy but so great for the business." Jasper said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Well maybe we can all get a nice little bonus when we go and spend time with our families soon for Thanksgiving. Are we all going back to Forks this year or are we spending it here? My Dad's been asking what our plans were." I said to Jasper.

"I think Dad and Mom are planning to go to the house in Forks for Thanksgiving and probably expecting Emmett and me to be there. If we're going, will you be going home to your Dad's or will you stay with us?" Jasper asked.

"Well the house is empty now. Dad moved in with Sue. I really can't do much in that kitchen anyway. I guess I could help your Mom do the cooking and have Dad and Sue join dinner at your parents. I'll probably stay at my house though. We probably should ask Edward to join us. It'll be his first time to get out of New York. It'll be a nice change for him. I'll talk to him tonight."

"Tonight?" Jasper asked and raised his eyebrow.

"Edward's coming over to my place to practice making Zeppoli."

"Yeah. Right." Jasper smirked.

"What? What's that smirk for?"

"Nothing." Jasper said and chuckled.

"That smirk was soooo not 'nothing'."

Jasper picked more Panini and headed back to the market. A few minutes after Jasper left, Rosalie came rushing back into the kitchen with a sly smile on her face. She leaned on my station and looked at me with her eyebrow raised.

"I heard you invited a certain someone to your house tonight. Spill."

"Why are you and Jasper making such a big deal out of me inviting Edward to my place for him to practice making Zeppoli? Come on, Emmett and Jasper come by alone sometimes too!"

"That's a whole different story. You haven't had an available guy over in ages. Tsk Tsk Naughty Naughty." Rosalie smirked.

"It's not like that. I honestly asked him to come over so that he can practice. I really need him to be able to make them on his own. My hands are full." I said to Rosalie.

"Mhhmm. Whatever, Bella. You have to tell me all about it tomorrow though." Rosalie chuckled and headed back into the café.

It was only morning yet, today was going to be a long day for me. I already had Jasper and Rosalie bugging me. I dreaded what Emmett would do once he finds out what I have planned for tonight.

Right around noon Edward came into the kitchen carrying the chalk board.

"Hi Bella. Rosalie sent me to ask what you planned for the dinner specials for today."

"Well let's see, roasted duck with espresso sauce, beef filet mignon with Barolo sauce, homemade black linguini served with Dungeness crab, sundried tomatoes, garlic, butter, sage, and parmesan."

"Mmmm. That pasta dish sounds really great. I envy the patrons." Edward said and licked his lips.

"Well we can have it for dinner tonight then. Could you also ask Rose if she would want me to make some for their dinner too? I know Rose loves my black linguini." I said to Edward.

I gasped when I saw what he had done when he finished writing what I had told him on the chalkboard. The chalkboard looked like a piece of art now. His handwriting was beautiful. He also drew roses, petals, and leaves around the border making the menu look like it was framed by them.

"Wow, Edward that chalkboard looks beautiful. I can't believe it's the same chalkboard that we always had."

"Thank you. I really haven't done much. I guess my penmanship is better than Emmett's." Edward said and laughed.

"I mean it. It's beautiful. I think you have a talent in drawing. We don't even have roses here. You drew it from memory."

"Bella, we all know what a rose looks like. It doesn't take a genius to draw a simple rose." Edward said and laughed.

"Well I don't have a talent in drawing. If I drew a rose, people may think I drew a gerbera." I laughed.

"All right, well I'd better head back to the Café. What time should I come and see you to practice making the Zeppoli?"

"I want to teach you and Emmett at the same time so I'll need to speak to Emmett first. I'll come and let you know as soon as I know when Emmett is free. Okay?"

"Sure. I look forward to it." Edward smiled and headed back to the Café.

While Kate and I sorted out the lunch orders from the Café, Alice bounced into the kitchen.

"Hi Bella. How are you today? I heard you have some exciting plans tonight." Alice said and wiggled her brows.

"Oh no. You too? Seriously, what's the big deal? Can't I even have a male friend over at my place without getting the third degree? I'm not a nun. I have male friends."

"Oh. I see. You're not a nun. Does that mean you're trying to get lucky tonight?" Alice winked.

"You are soooo twisting my words. You know I didn't mean it that way." I'm not sure why but I blushed crimson at her remark.

As always I had the worst timing ever. Edward and Emmett came into the kitchen.

"Belly, why are you blushing?" Emmett asked me.

I scowled at him. "She's not a nun." Alice replied instead of me with a smirk on her face.

"Huh? Of course she's not a nun. Oooohhh I get it. Are we talking about her sex life? Well if that's what you're talking about, then she might as well be a nun." Emmett said and laughed really loud.

I growled at Emmett. Alice and Emmett were laughing really hard and I saw Edward's lips quivering to hold from laughing.

"Go ahead. You can laugh too." I said to Edward and he shook his head.

"I can't talk. By Emmett's definition I would be considered a priest then." Edward said and Emmett laughed.

"All right. I assume you boys are here to let me know you're available now for your lesson? Well let's get started then. You guys watch me make the first batch. We'll use them for the pictures for the flyers" I said and they all nodded.

I went and got the bowl of the soft dough I had made earlier.

"So, what's the secret ingredient in this recipe that makes it originale di Bella? I know you added something unusual." Emmett said to me.

"Paprika and lemon zest. Lemon zest isn't that original but I'm sure paprika is." I answered Emmett.

"Hmmm. Interesting. But I wouldn't know until I tasted if it works or not." He said and grinned.

"You're just saying that cuz you want to eat some." I said and everyone laughed. "Anyway let's get started. I'm going to demonstrate using these tiny ice cream scoops so that when you boys try it the Zeppoli would be equal in size. There's two kinds of dough. The one with the paprika goes with the cinnamon and granulated sugar coating. The one with lemon zest goes with powdered sugar."

Alice, Emmett, and Edward watched while I made a batch of the 2 kinds of Zeppoli. "Got it? Your turn to try, Emmett." I said and changed place with Emmett.

Alice grabbed the Zeppoli I made and placed it in a cute little basket lined with an antique Rosaline lace cocktail napkin she brought. She then took it to the staff room where Jasper set up the lights to take pictures for the flyers. I knew I could count on Alice to make something as simple as Zeppoli look nice. Her added touch of having an Italian lace napkin beneath the Zeppoli made the Zeppoli look appealing.

Rosalie came into the kitchen to watch while Emmett practiced making the donuts. She laughed really hard while she watched Emmett make the badly deformed donuts.

"Ewww. I really doubt anyone would want to eat those! They look like crap!" She said and laughed. Emmett growled at her.

Emmett and Edward took turns making them. Edward's looked better than the ones Emmett made but still not acceptable to be served to customers. Almost everyone in the kitchen watched the boys make the Zeppoli. I was thankful that the Café wasn't too busy at the moment. I was able to watch them while I prepped for the dinner specials.

Rosalie came and stood by me. "I now understand why you need Edward to come by your place to practice. If we really want to start selling these little fuckers from this weekend Edward needs all the practice he can get. I'll try and have Emmett practice at home too. Could you make us some dough so we can take it home today to practice?" Rosalie asked.

"Sure thing. I'll make some and have it ready before we close up. Just be careful, okay. I don't want you guys burning yourselves or have a fire break out in your kitchen." I said to Rosalie.

Alice and Jasper came in to the kitchen to show us the flyer. Zeppoli were always sold at carnivals in Italy so the underlying theme of the flyer matched that but still looked sophisticated. The flyer had a white background with a picture of the market with our stand with a new white banner with egg shell blue border and Zeppole written in the matching egg shell blue. I was glad they didn't decorate the stand in red and yellow. It might as well have said Funnel cake if it were the case. What caught my attention the most was that Edward and Rosalie stood behind the stand in the picture. They both really looked like professional models. On the bottom right corner of the flyer was the basket of the Zeppoli clearly visible to show what they looked like. It was a great flyer and I was sure it would attract people's attention.

"I love it you guys. Great job! Rose and Edward look really great too. Great picture!" I complimented Alice and Jasper for their wonderful job they've done in such a short time. I didn't even know they had taken a picture earlier in the day with Rosalie and Edward posing behind the stand.

"I'm glad you like it. Once I get approval from Em, we'll go ahead and take this to the printers." Jasper said and walked towards Em.

"Aww look. My Rosie looks so gorgeous. Have you seen this babe?" Emmett said to Rosalie.

"I always look good Em." Rosalie said and stuck her tongue out at Em.

"Keep an eye out so that our teenage customers don't take more than one flyer. We don't want them cutting Edward out of the flyers and build a shrine in their homes. We'll keep some at the counter of the market and at the entrance of the Café. We'll fold some on Thursday and slip it into the breakfast bags on Friday morning too. That way we can be sure that the breakfast patrons know we're also doing something on weekends now." Jasper said to us and we all nodded in agreement.

Once the boys finished using up all the dough I told them it was enough practice for today and sent them back to the Café. Kate, Irina, and I had plenty to do without further disruption in our schedule. The day progressed smoothly and thought we would have a nice calm evening until I saw Rosalie come into the kitchen fuming.

"Your bitch sister is in the Café. What the hell does she want Kate? Irina? She has her own place, why the fuck would she even need to come here?" Rosalie was furious.

"Tanya's here?" I asked Rosalie.

"Yeah. She and five other suits with her." Rosalie spat.

"Sorry Rosie. If she's here to dine, there's really nothing I can do to prevent it." Kate said apologetically to Rose.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just irritated that she's here. There are plenty of other places she can go and she chose to come to ours. She totally grilled Edward with questions in regards to the specials. He aced her questions though. I hope they decide on what they want and get the fuck out of the Café quick." Rosalie said scowled.

Emmett came into the kitchen with a frown on his face. "Bells, can you come up with some special appetizers? Bitch from hell and the suits are requesting for something special and I'm too proud to turn them down." Emmett said to me.

"Not a problem Em. Tell her I can do an Ahi tuna tartar with avocado, Octopus salad with pumpkin, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, and celery with gorgonzola dressing served on Belgian endives, carpaccio di filleto with parmesan mustard dressing, and crostini with fig and goat cheese."

"Wow, you're really bringing it on huh. Love ya Bells. Thanks!" Emmett said and returned to the Café with a smirk on his face.

"I'm so sorry Bella. I don't know why my sister keeps pulling these annoying stunts. She could just eat at her place." Kate sighed.

"No problem. The appetizers I mentioned basically won't take much prep time. We'll just charge a hefty price for them." I said and giggled.

As expected they ordered two plates each of the special appetizers and two each of the three dinner specials. Tanya really wanted me on my toes tonight. It was no biggie but really annoyed me. I don't know what she was going to get out of this. After we served all of what they ordered including the desserts Emmett came back telling me that Tanya and the gang requested to speak to the executive chef, meaning me. I quickly straightened myself and walked into the Café with Emmett.

"Good evening. My name is Bella." I introduced myself to the suits Tanya came with.

"Hello Bella. My name is Marcus. Thank you for the meal. It was delightful. You are a fabulous chef." Marcus said and shook my hand.

"She is really wonderful. It's a shame she works in such a hell hole." Tanya said and smirked.

I swear I heard a growl from Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Edward who stood near the counter close to their table.

"Behave, my darling." The oldest man who looked withered and pale narrowed his eyes and said to Tanya. He had to be close to seventy years old. I assumed he must be Tanya's latest she's leeching off of. "My name is Aro Volturi. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, beautiful one. Your dishes were all divine. I was wondering if I may have the pleasure of meeting with you and the owners sometime next week or the week after to discuss catering for a dinner party my wife plans to host next month." He said and I noticed that Tanya had a scowl on her face. She wasn't happy with this situation I presumed.

I guess Tanya was involved with a married man this time. No wonder she brought him here. She couldn't cater it herself in order to avoid getting caught by the wifey.

"I'll have to discuss with Emmet and Jasper Cullen. If you would please leave me your number I'll have one of them give you a call." I smiled and said to Aro. I thanked them all for their patronage and headed back to the kitchen with Emmett and Jasper behind me.

"Wow, Tanya is really over her head this time. Aro Volturi? Volturi Corporation is listed as one of the Fortune 500 and he's frickin married." Emmett said.

"Well that's no surprise. I would be surprised if he didn't have money. Tanya would never waste her time on someone without money. Do we really want to work with Aro Volturi though? I've heard a lot of rumors that he's connected to the Cosa Nostra." Jasper said to us.

"I'll run it past our lawyers. I'm afraid to turn him down. I wouldn't want to make him unhappy if he really has those connections." Emmett said to Jasper.

"Well if the lawyers give us the green light I don't mind doing the catering. I'm sure we'll be paid very well. It would be a good thing. Alice can help us with ironing out the details with the Mrs." I said to the guys. We hadn't catered in a while and we could definitely use the money from the dinner party.

I felt really tired so I told Kate and Irina I was taking a little break and headed to the staff room. Shortly after I got there Alice came into the room and sat beside me.

"You look exhausted. Are you all right?" Alice asked.

"I'm all right. Just tired I think. The last few days have been really busy. We've never had so much business. I can hardly wait till Monday. I wished I had a day off before then."

"Wanna do something on Monday together then? We could go to a spa." Alice said smiling.

"Sorry, I have plans." That was all I was going to tell her. If I mentioned that I had plans with Edward she would spend the next half hour instructing me what to wear and what to do with my hair and makeup.

"Shucks. I thought we could spend some time together." Alice said and pouted.

"Sorry pixie. I promise we'll do something together soon."

"Oh, I heard from Rosalie that Tanya's a mistress now. She's such a black widow. I wonder what she made Aro Volturi write in his will for her." Alice chuckled.

"You think she's made him change his will to include her?"

"Bella, don't be silly. Of course she has him wrapped around her finger. She's a black widow. I wonder how long Aro Volturi would last. Look what happened to the guy before him. She's probably going to have FBI on her soon since the men she's around keep dying on her." Alice chuckled.

"I'd better get back to the Café before someone sends a search party out for me. Will I see you on Saturday when we start selling the Zeppoli?"

"I wouldn't miss it. I'll probably drop by before Saturday though. Let me know how tonight goes." Alice said and winked at me.

The night went by without much trouble after Tanya, Aro, and the suits left. I quickly prepared the dough for Rosalie to take home and for me to take back for Edward's practice. I also needed to prepare the black linguini with Dungeness crab for Rosalie and I to take home for dinner. For some reason I felt excited Edward was coming over tonight. I guess it's been a long time since I had male companion other than Emmett and Jasper.

Emmett told me to get Edward and leave before we started cleaning since I opened up this morning. I told Edward to meet me out back in ten minutes.

"Is it really all right that I leave without helping with the cleaning?" Edward asked.

"Yup. Boss man said to leave. Jasper and Alice are here too so we have a full house here tonight. Let's go. The earlier we leave the earlier you can start practicing." I said to Edward and led him towards the street.

Edward helped me carry all the food and the breads. "What are all these bread?" He asked me.

"They're bread from Orwasher's bakery. I went and bought some while I was on break today. They make some of the best bread. They were voted as one of the ten best bakeries in the U.S. in one of the food magazines. I bought some sourdough bread and I love their artisan wine breads so I picked their olive bread so we can have some with cheese and the Cullen wine."

"I didn't know you buy bread when you actually bake some yourself for the market." Edward said and chuckled.

"I enjoy eating what other people bake. It keeps me on my toes. It helps me create something new. I also eat out often to get new ideas for my specials. That's one of the reasons why Emmett and Alice don't cook. They try to eat out often as well so they can give me ideas to incorporate it into the specials."

We got to my apartment and I quickly started the pasta and asked Edward to cut the bread and the cheese so we can nibble on them while I prepared the Dungeness crab pasta.

We ate at my breakfast bar so that we could quickly finish dinner. "The black linguini with the Dungeness crab was excellent. I loved it. It might sound out of the blue but Bella, have you ever thought of getting married? I'm really surprised you're not married. You're a great cook, you have a great personality, and you're beautiful inside and out. I don't understand why men have left you alone." Edward said and he looked serious.

I blushed at his comment. I've never really had anyone say something like that so straight forward. "Umm I guess I'm not good at multi-tasking. I was busy with school, then I went to Italy, after I came back Emmett started the Café and we've been really busy since. If Emmett and Jasper didn't meet Rosalie and Alice years ago, I think they would've been unattached too. I've had a few relationships but they've all been disastrous. I either pick the wrong guy for me or they get tired of me because I just don't have enough time to have a proper date. Rosalie says I just haven't met the right one. When I do, she says things will fall naturally in place that I wouldn't feel like I am making time for them. Have you thought of getting married?" I asked Edward.

"I don't remember if I had a girlfriend or a wife in my past before the accident, but since the accident I've only dated but never been in a serious relationship. I can't really officially get married because I don't have the proper papers and I don't know if I can make my significant other happy. I don't feel whole. I can't really carry a normal conversation. I can't tell people what my childhood was like, what I was like as a teenager, I don't even know if I went to college, I don't even know what I did for a living before the accident. Who would really fall in love with someone who only has bits and pieces of memory from the past? I don't want to hurt the woman I get involved with." Edward said with a frown.

I'm not sure what made me do it, but I got off my stool and hugged him really tight. I don't think I did it out of pity. I just felt this overwhelming desire I needed to protect him. I needed to hold him. I needed to let him know that he was safe with me. Edward rested his head on mine and wrapped his arms around me.

"Thanks Bella. I'm all right. I'm used to it now. It doesn't bother me that I'm unattached. Don't worry." Edward said to me softly and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"Shall we get started on the Zeppoli?" I didn't know what to say so that was all I could think of.

I heated the oil and once the temperature was high enough Edward started to scoop the dough and dropped it into the fryer. The first few were not that great but there was definitely improvement.

"This batch smells different. It smells like cheese." Edward said to me with a confused look.

"You're correct! I added parmesan into the dough. I thought we could eat these after they're done. I wasn't in the mood for eating more sweet donuts. You have to practice more tomorrow at the Café so I thought it might be a nice change to eat savory donuts instead of the sweet ones." I said and smiled at Edward.

Edward picked one of the fresh made donut and popped it into his mouth. "Oh these are really good." He said and picked another one up and held it close to my mouth. I opened my mouth and he fed me the donut.

"These go really well with the wine. I'm so glad these aren't sweet. I dreaded at the thought of eating more sweet donuts tonight." Edward chuckled.

While Edward kept practicing making the Zeppoli, I went to the fridge to dig out the salsa I made last night to eat it with the parmesan flavored Zeppoli.

I dished the Zeppoli on a plate and topped it with the salsa. "Here, have a bite of this." I cut a Zeppole in half and topped it with the salsa and fed Edward.

"Mmmm these are even better than the plain ones." Edward licked his lips.

After he finished using up all the dough we went and settled on the couch and popped the DVD of X-Men Origins: Wolverine that I recently purchased.

"Nice. I've wanted to watch this movie." Edward looked excited.

"I didn't get the chance to see it at the movie theater so I bought this the other day."

"You don't rent movies? Do you always buy them?" Edward raised his brow and asked.

"I usually rent them. I bought this cuz Hugh Jackman is hot!" I said and Edward chuckled.

Half way into the movie my eyelids felt really heavy. I tried very hard to stay awake. I felt myself nodding off a few times until I no longer could keep my eyes open.

**Edward POV**

Towards the middle of the movie I felt movement beside me. When I looked to my left Bella nodded off and her body swayed. I inched myself closer to her and held her so that she would stop swaying. She gave a soft sigh and leaned into my chest. The position I was in was very uncomfortable so I held her tighter and slowly shifted myself so that I was lying on my side and Bella curled into me. I was thankful that her couch had depth to fit both of us snugly. Her head rested comfortably on my arm and I started to hear her soft snores.

I felt really comfortable so I decided to stay in this position until the movie was over. I thought it was probably a better idea that way so that she would be deep asleep when I moved her later.

I felt like a pervert but I sniffed Bella's hair and she smelled like all different kinds of food she cooked today. To anyone who weren't in the restaurant business the smell she emitted would turn their nose but to me she smelled comforting. She smelled like an honest, hard working person. I realized she didn't take time to shower after we got here. I felt horrible that she spent all her time on me and didn't take a moment for herself. She was so selfless and it made my heart ache.

I brushed her hair out of her face. I froze the next moment. She said my name and sighed. I thought she had woken up and might have noticed me smelling her but she started snoring again. I wanted to stay like this all night but the movie was over and she would be more comfortable to sleep in a bed so I carefully carried her to the guest room. I didn't want to invade her privacy and didn't want to enter her bedroom without being invited so I opted to tuck her in the guestroom bed. After I tucked her in I grabbed one of the pillows and a few blankets from the closet where she had shown me earlier where the extra blankets were and settled on sleeping on the couch.

**A/N **

Did you like it? This was probably the longest chapter I've written for this story. I thought of splitting it into two but since Thanksgiving is coming up I wouldn't be able to update till next week so I kept it long. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review!

For anyone who's never read my other story, Amor Vincit Omnia, please have a look. If you go to my profile under the "My stories" tab you'll find the link to it. I just published a new chapter on Monday.

As you all have probably noticed, I have a thing for food. My father ran restaurants and also cooked until he retired two years ago, he just caters now so I think his love for cooking and food passed on to me.

To all the people in the U.S., have a great Thanksgiving!


	8. Chapter 8 Edward Anthony Masen

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

**Chapter 8 Edward A. Masen**

**Characters: Emmett, Bella, Edward, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, and Aro Volturi**

**Emmett POV **

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I'll get to the point so that we both don't waste our time. I'm afraid I cannot ask your Café to cater for my wife's event. Due to my status everyone checks up on everything I do. For security purpose, I had to run a background check on all of you and I'm sure you know what I want to say, I ran into some problems with Mr. Green, or shall I say Mr. Masen?" Aro Volturi said to me.

"Who?" I asked Aro. I didn't understand who the hell he was talking about.

"Mr. Edward Green. I understand you had to falsify some documents to bring him to the United States. Well I think the person you hired to take care of said documents was sloppy and my connections were able to quickly figure out Mr. Green didn't exist until just recently. Due to that reason we had to dig deeper and found out that your Mr. Edward Green is Edward Anthony Masen from Chicago, Illinois. The information we found are all in this envelope. Once we found out who he was and was no longer a security risk, so we stopped digging. I'm sure it will be easy to find out more information now that there is a copy of his latest driver's license in the envelope. Thank you for your time." Aro Volturi got up,shook our hands, and left with his bodyguards.

Rosalie, Bella, Jasper and I just sat there in silence too shocked from what was just revealed to us. I don't know how long we all just sat in my office. Bella was the first one to break the silence.

"Em, I think you should go home with Edward after work and tell him what happened at his place. I don't think it's a good idea to tell him here. We have no idea how he will react to the information. He may fall apart. Who knows you know." Bella said and looked at me with concern in her eyes.

"I agree with Bella. I'm sure it's going to be hard for us to concentrate today but for Edward's sake you should tell him at his place." Jasper said to me.

I looked at Rosalie and she nodded in agreement with Jasper and Bella.

The day went by really slow and finally while we cleaned up I asked Edward if I could drop by his place and grab a box I left in the closet. I really didn't need it but I needed a reason to go to his place. He told me it was fine with him and we grabbed some dinner before we got to his place.

After I entered his place I told him to sit down with me on the couch. He looked confused but settled on the couch beside me. "I'm sure you know that we had a meeting with Aro Volturi this morning and you've probably heard that he no longer needed us to cater his wife's dinner party."

"Yeah. I heard. I'm so sorry to hear that. Bella really looked forward to it."

"Well there's more to the story than that. I need to tell you something that Aro Volturi found out. He ran a background check and found out what we did to get you over to the States."

"Oh god. Was I the reason why he no longer wanted us to cater his wife's dinner?" Edward gasped.

"Nah, that's not what I want to tell you and it's not your fault. I received this envelope from Aro Volturi. He didn't go into details to us but he told us that your name is Edward Anthony Masen from Chicago, Illinois. He said there was a copy of your latest driver's license in the envelope amongst other information. I did not open the envelope so I don't know what else is in there. Do whatever you want to do with it. You can stay as Edward Green or you can go back to being Edward Masen. This is your choice. Take your time. If you need a few days off, that's okay too. Just give me a call later okay? We're here for you." I said to Edward and he nodded. Edward just stared at the envelope and didn't attempt to open it. I said goodbye but he didn't seem to hear me.

I ran into Bella a block away from Edward's place. "How was he? How did he take it?"

"He was in shock. I just gave him the envelope. I told him to take his time and take a few days off if he needed to. He didn't even hear me leave."

"What? You just left him alone like that? Damn you Em, how stupid can you be? Give me the set of keys you have for the place. I'm going to go and check on him." Bella screamed at me fuming.

**Bella POV**

I was so angry at Emmett when I found out he left Edward alone after he gave him the envelope. I was so worried. I banged on the door several times but heard no answer so I used the key I grabbed from Em and entered.

"Edward? Edward?" I called out to him as I walked into his place. I finally found him on the floor beside the couch. He was rocking back and forth with his knees to his chest and his head on his knees. I ran to him and held him close to me. "Edward, are you all right? Talk to me." I said to him but there was no response.

I ran to the bathroom and moistened a washcloth so that I could wipe his tear stricken face. When I squatted in front of him and reached out towards his face he grabbed the towel out of my hand and glared at me.

"Bella, get out. Leave. Leave me alone," he yelled. He got up, dashed into his bedroom, and banged the door shut.

I really didn't know what to do. I know he told me to leave but what would happen if I left? Would he disappear from all of us? I decided to stay until he kicked me out. I grabbed a few cushions and lay down on the couch.

When I woke up it was still dark outside. I realized that there was a blanket on me. Edward must have come back into the living room and noticed that I stayed. When I looked at my watch it was past 5 a.m. so I got up and called Emmett. I was sure he was up and probably about to head to the Café.

"Hey Em. I'm sorry for yelling at you last night. I want to take the day off today if that's okay with you. Edward was upset at me last night. Told me to leave but I stayed. I'm really worried about him. I'm scared that he might leave and disappear from all of us."

"Of course. Go ahead and take the day off but do you think it's a good idea to stay? Maybe he needs time on his own? I guess if he really wants you gone, he'd kick you out. I'll drop by later. Thanks for doing this Belly." Emmett said to me.

A few hours passed after I spoke to Emmett. I hadn't thought anything through when I came here last night. I had no change of clothes so I decided to call Alice.

"Alice, I need your help. I'm not sure how much you know. I'm at Edward's. Do you think you can go to my place and bring me some clean underwear, clothes, and toiletries?"

"What? Oh my gosh, you slept with him? Are you asking me to bring you clothes so that you don't have to do the walk of shame?"

I realized since all of what went down happened late last night, Alice didn't know anything. "Alice, I wish it was. I would gladly do the walk of shame if that was the case. Aro Volturi came to us yesterday to turn down our service. At the same time he gave us information on Edward. We know his name now. Aro gave Emmett an envelope containing Edward's latest driver's license and other information about him. Emmett gave Edward the envelope and left him alone. I came to check up on him and found Edward in shock so I stayed overnight." I explained to Alice.

"Does Emmett know what was in the envelope?"

"He doesn't know. He gave it to Edward without opening it."

"Has Edward opened it?"

"I have no idea. He hasn't spoken a word since I got here last night. He was really upset and yelled at me to leave. "

"All right. I'll swing by your place and get some of your stuff and stop somewhere and pick up food for you guys. Hang in there Bella. I'll come by in a few hours."

I fell asleep again. I wasn't sure what it was but I felt warm and safe. When I opened my eyes I was taken by surprise. Edward was on the couch with me curled up to my side asleep with his arms wrapped around me.

"Edward. Let me help you. I really care about you. We all care about you. If you're in pain, let me share that pain with you. Lean on me Edward. Lean on all of us. Was the information too much? Was it not what you expected? You can go back to the way things were as if nothing happened you know. I'll be here to support you. We all will. You're not alone anymore. You don't have to deal with all of this alone." I said to Edward knowing full well that he was asleep and didn't hear a word I said. I just needed to let it out.

I ran my fingers through his hair. It was something my mom did when I was a child to make me feel better when I was sick in bed. I didn't know what else I could do to help him feel better. This was all I could think of to comfort him. When I looked at his face I noticed that the expression on his face had softened. Maybe what I did soothed him a little. With his arms so tightly wrapped around me, there was no way I could go anywhere so I rested my head on his chest and closed my eyes.

**Edward POV**

When I woke up, I felt like crap. I took my frustration out on Bella last night and yelled at her to get out of my place. I needed a drink of water so I got up and walked out of my bedroom. I froze when I heard a sound from the living room. I concentrated on listening to the sound coming from the living room. What? Was that a snore? Then I heard a creak from the couch. I realized someone was asleep on the couch. I turned the lamp on and gasped when I saw Bella asleep on the couch. I assumed she had left after I yelled at her but she had stayed. She was curled into a ball on the couch. She must have been cold. She was asleep with nothing covering her. I dashed to my bedroom and gathered some blankets and carefully covered her with them so that I wouldn't wake her up. Now I felt worse than I had originally. Bella not only suffered from my yelling but she sacrificed herself in the cold on the couch without any blankets. She could have gone home and slept comfortably in her own bed but she stayed here for me. I didn't want to risk waking her up so I grabbed a bottle of water and headed back to my bedroom.

I got back on the bed and stared at the envelope that Emmett had given me. I still hadn't opened it yet. I was afraid to know what was inside. I also felt defeated. I had this notion that when I found out my real name it would trigger my memory and help remember my past but I didn't. I thought I would be thrilled and excited but instead I was scared. What if I don't like who I used to be? What if Bella, Emmett, and the others would no longer want to associate with me once they find out who I really was? Right now all I had on my mind was to make things right with Bella.

I went back to the living room and this time instead of the cute little snores I heard earlier I heard sniffles. Bella was crying in her sleep. I felt like my heart had stopped beating. I made her cry. I dashed to the couch and held her tight in my arms. I wiped the tears that rolled down her cheek. I felt like I needed to get away from here. Get away from her. I wasn't good for her. She was hurt because of me. She would have never shed these tears if I hadn't walked into her life. I felt horrible. Maybe if I disappeared life will go back to the way things were for Bella and the Cullens. They didn't need the crap I brought with me. Maybe there was information on people I could contact in the envelope who knew me. Instead of getting up and packing to leave, the words that came out of Bella's mouth changed my life forever.

"Please don't go, Edward. Please don't leave me. I need you." Bella said in her sleep with more tears running down her cheeks.

I was an incomplete man. I had nothing to live for until now. Bella was now my _raison d'être. _Bella said she wanted me to stay, and that she needed me. I would do exactly what she wanted. I wanted to be there for her, I needed her too. I held her tighter and brushed the tears off her face. I tucked the loose strands of her hair behind her ear.

"I will never leave you unless you ask me to. I need you too." I whispered into her ear. I rested my head on hers and closed my eyes and inhaled her scent. She smelled so warm and comforting. I could never let her go. I realized how important she was in my life. I felt stupid I never realized this until now. My ignorant self absorbed being never noticed how much people cared and sacrificed for me. It was my turn to give back. To become the best I could be for myself and the people around me. I needed to accept that I may never remember who I used to be. By accepting that fact I could feel whole again. Bella deserved someone whole and I would be that for her. This feeling of acceptance relaxed me and felt myself drift off.

I woke up to the sound of knocking on my door. I opened my eyes and saw that Bella was still asleep. When I opened the door Alice looked shocked to see me.

"Come in. You need to be quiet though. Bella's asleep." I said to Alice and led her to the kitchen.

"How are you?" Alice asked with worry in her eyes.

"I've been better. I have a lot of groveling to do. I hurt Bella and inconvenienced all of you."

"Edward. Don't. We all love you and nothing you do will ever stop us from loving you. Bella is not upset. She's just worried about you just like the rest of us."

"Thank you. You've all been so good to me. I don't know what I've done to deserve you all."

"Be happy. Make Bella happy. Be happy together with her. That's all we want. I see something different in your eyes today. Like a cloud has been lifted."

"I found the errors of my way."

"Maybe I'm too nosey, but did you see what's in the envelope?"

"Not yet. I'm hoping to open it when Bella wakes up so she could see it with me."

"I think she'd really like that. I should probably get going. I'll go to the Café and let everyone know you're okay. Heat the food up. It's chicken and waffles and ham and cheese stuffed french toast. The chicken and waffles is one of Bella's comfort food so don't eat that one. Here's the bag of her clothes and toiletries." Alice said and smiled. I raised my brow since I couldn't understand the bag of clothes.

"Bella called to ask for them. She came straight over here from the Café. She needed clean clothes and there are plenty of clean clothes in the bag for her to stay here for a few days." Alice said and winked. I felt myself blush at her words and she bumped her shoulder into me teasingly.

"Bye, Alice." I said and teased. Alice laughed and headed out.

I took the food Alice brought and placed it on the coffee table in front of the couch where Bella slept. I sat on the couch and touched her cheek. Bella stirred and opened her eyes. She gave me the most beautiful smile I've ever seen.

"I'm really sorry I took my frustration out on you. Thank you for staying with me."

Bella reached out and hugged me. "You don't need to thank me. I stayed because I wanted to. I really care about you." Bella said and blushed.

"And I you." I said and kissed her on her forehead. "Alice dropped by earlier. She brought food." I pointed to the food on the table.

"Oooooh she brought chicken and waffles. She always knows what I need." Bella smiled.

"Chicken and waffles? Isn't that an odd combination?" I chuckled.

"Best food ever! You've missed out if you've never had them. I'll give you a bite. But just a bite. The rest is for me." Bella giggled.

"Fair enough. After what I did to you last night, I should be thankful you are in a sharing mood."

Bella grabbed my hand and frowned. "Edward, stop it. I'm not upset with you. I understand that you were overwhelmed. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I shouldn't have barged in here without being invited. I even went against your wish and stayed."

"I'm thankful that you stayed. I'm sorry you slept without blankets. I hope you're feeling okay. Please take a nice relaxing bath after you eat. I don't want you to come down with a cold."

"I will take you up on your offer. I feel really icky from not showering."

"After we both shower and feel better, I need your help." Bella looked confused. "I haven't looked inside the envelope. I'd like it if you'd look at what's inside together with me."

"Oh Edward, you don't need to ask. I'll be here as long as you need me. I'm not planning to leave. You can't get rid of me that easily."

**Bella POV**

I was thrilled that Edward asked me to stay with him and see what's inside the envelope together. I was so relieved that Edward looked so much better today. I was worried that he may still be in shock today. Something about Edward was different today. He looked hopeful. His eyes looked full of life now.

We both sat back down on the couch and Edward opened the envelope and shook the things inside out onto the coffee table. Out came a copy of his driver's license, a stapled document, 3 pictures, and copy of a newspaper article.

He held the document in one hand and wrapped one of his arms around me and pulled me closer to him so that I could also see what was written on the document.

The document started with his name, Edward Anthony Masen. It then said that his parents were deceased due to a fatal car accident involving Edward Sr., Elizabeth, and son Edward. I gasped when I realized that Edward was also in the fatal accident that took the lives of his parents away. Edward must have sensed that I was shocked to read that his parents were deceased. He softly squeezed my arm.

After that it mentioned that he finished his bachelor's and master's degree from Rhode Island School of Design in Jewelry and Glass. He was a custom jewelry designer. I wasn't surprised at that. I had witnessed how artistic he was from the menu chalkboard at the Café.

The document mentioned that Edward had disappeared 6 years ago after he notified his family lawyer he was going to travel the world for a few years. His last known location was London. It also mentioned that there was a family home in Evanston, a condo in One Magnificent Mile, and several other properties being rented. Edward Sr. was in real estate. At the bottom of the document was the contact information of his family lawyer.

The newspaper article was from the accident. The three of them were on their way home after a night of watching the Opera, Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. They were hit by a drunk driver. I heard a sniffle from Edward.

I looked towards him and saw tears run down his cheeks. I wrapped my arm around his waist and reached out and brushed the tears off his face. I felt so sorry for him. It must be overwhelming enough to find out about his past and on top of that he discovered that his parents had passed away. I was thankful that it wasn't Edward behind the wheel. His mother was the driver. If it had been Edward, the information would have broken him.

His family home and his condo would probably have pictures and other things that would help him find out more about his past. He could also contact the lawyer.

"Would you like to go to Chicago for Thanksgiving? I would be more than happy to accompany you there." I said and smiled at Edward.

He looked deep in thought. "Thank you for the offer but I think I'd like to sleep on it for a while. I'm not sure if I'm ready to find out more about myself just yet. The information on the document alone is a lot to process."

"I understand. I just wanted to offer. If you ever decide to want to go to Chicago, count me in." I smiled at him.

**A/N **

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm sorry I didn't update last week. I was sort of stuck and couldn't write. It took me a while to think of Edward's bio. I wanted something unique. I don't think I've read him being a jewelry designer in any of the stories here on fanfiction. Also since his last location where he injured his head because of the Tsunami was Sri Lanka (a country world famous for gems such as Sapphire, Ruby, and Emerald, and tea) I thought custom jewelry designer would be perfect. Please leave a review! Thank you!


	9. Chapter 9 The Pink Diamond Ring

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot of this story.

*Almas Beluga Caviar article by Peter Brady – information from Lussorian – Luxury Food- December 6, 2006,

*Information on San Miniato White truffles and Volterra Truffle fair from www (dot) san-miniato (dot) com

Chapter 9 The Pink Diamond Ring

**Bella POV**

Things had pretty much gone back to normal since the discovery of Edward's identity. We all decided to leave the subject alone unless Edward brought it up. He told me that he was going to contact the lawyer mentioned on the document, so until he was ready to tell me, I wasn't going to push him.

I worried about him, but his eyes no longer held the emptiness that used to exist in them. Just that fact gave assurance things were better than it used to be. There was no doubt things were still going to be difficult for him, but now that there were enough information to go on to learn about his past, I was sure that one day in the near future Edward was going to be happy again. He may never remember his past fully, but sometimes there were things in the past you didn't want to remember.

Maybe the amnesia was Edward's self preservation technique to protect him from all the pain he endured when his parents died from the fatal car accident. Maybe he felt responsible or guilty that he survived and his parents didn't.

Aro Volturi ended up being someone totally different than we first perceived. Not only did he give us the information on Edward, but he also passed our names to his friends. He had been very kind to us and through him we got this wedding catering job at the Queens Botanical Garden at noon today. We closed the café and market today for the wedding. The amount we were getting paid highly exceeded the amount of money we would have made in a day with both the market and the café open.

Alice had done a wonderful job coordinating with the bride for the flowers and table settings. The bride had a specific cake in mind so she took care of the cake herself and we followed up with the bakery until we received the cake at the venue. Since Edward had experience with bartending, he was in charge of the bar and drinks. He looked happy tending the bar. He charmed many of the lady guests with original cocktails and many wouldn't leave the bar.

The mother of the bride recommended us the waiting staff they always used which made everything much easier on us. They were all very professional and knew what they were doing.

I enjoyed coming up with the menu. The bride and the mother of the bride told us they wanted an Italian Japanese fusion menu. The bride and the groom met in Japan, and there were many Japanese guests attending. They also had some specific items they wanted incorporated in the menu such as wasabi, ponzu, mentaiko, San Miniato white truffles, and the white Almas beluga caviar. I knew what white truffles and Almas beluga caviar were, but had never seen or tasted them since they were outrageously expensive.

The mother of the bride delivered them to me 3 days before the wedding. She told me she ordered the Almas caviar 4 years ago. That was how long the waiting was to get your hands on the Almas caviar. Almas were rare and the only outlet that carried them were Caviar House and Prunier in Piccadilly, London. The white caviar was packed in 24K golden tin. When the caviar arrived we gawked at it. Emmett was so excited he took pictures of them and even videotaped it. The mother of the bride even gave us some for us to taste.

The white truffles were couriered directly from San Miniato so that the aroma and flavor wasn't lost. The mother of the bride's relatives from Volterra sent the black truffles from their truffle fair to be incorporated into the menu.

Together with the bride and the mother of the bride we came up with the menu that consisted of spring rolls with garlic shrimp and mozzarella cheese topped with spicy arrabiata sauce, avocado, prosciutto, and tuna carpaccio with ponzu dressing, gorgonzola cheese and mentaiko baked in shiitake mushroom, gnocchi with scallops and asparagus with spicy sesame cream dressing, Parmigiano cheese and Miso flavored mushroom risotto, crusted veal fillet with truffle wasabi sauce, and most importantly the Lobster with yuzu and limoncello sauce topped with San Miniato white truffles and Almas beluga caviar.

I thought everything went well at the reception until I saw a man and woman approach Edward with a shock on their faces.

"Edward? Edward Masen? What the hell are you doing here?" I over-heard the man say to Edward.

Edward looked startled. It was the first time he actually heard someone call him by his real name.

"Edward, you look like you don't even remember us." The woman said to him.

Before I could react, Alice saw what went on and quickly approached them. "Hello, my name is Alice Brandon. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Oh, umm, maybe we're mistaken but this guy looks so much like our friend we haven't seen in years. My name is Pietro Marino and this is my wife Carlotta."

"He gets that a lot. For some reason people seem to mistake him for someone else. We all can't seem to figure out why. He doesn't even look like an average Joe, but still there's always someone who thinks he's someone they know. Could we interest you in a drink?" Alice said and saved the day. Pietro still didn't look convinced but they both got their drinks and went back to their table.

Alice stood beside Edward and looked like she was rubbing his back. She whispered something into his ear and Edward nodded. I saw relief in his eyes but he still looked tense. I really wanted to know what she said. I made a mental note to ask her later.

After the bride and the groom had their first bite, Aro Volturi approached. "Ah, Miss Swan, your dishes were phenomenal. Many of the guests approached me after hearing from the mother of the bride that I was the one who recommended you as the caterer. Is there any possibility for you to quit working for the Cullens and work as my personal chef in my home?"

"Please call me Bella. Thank you very much Aro. I'm flattered, but I have no interest in leaving the Café. I love the Cullens and where I work. They are my family and the Café is my home."

"I understand but I had to try. Congratulations for this highly successful catering job, and thank you. Your dishes have made this unbearable wedding very interesting. Without your food, I probably would have left as soon as I was done at the receiving line."

"Again I'm flattered, but I should be thanking you for recommending us to the bride. We actually have a few more wedding catering requests from your acquaintances."

"Oh that is good to hear. That means I get to enjoy more of your exquisite dishes. I should go and congratulate the father and mother of the bride. I look forward to seeing you at another wedding. If you ever need anything, please call me." Aro smiled and left leaving me his card with a cell phone number on it.

I looked towards the bar and found Edward smiling at the guests requesting him for his original cocktails. He was smiling but he no longer looked happy. It probably had something to do with the man and the woman who approached him earlier. I was so concentrated on Edward that I didn't even notice that Emmett now stood beside me.

"I need to ask you to do something."

"Sure. What can I do for you?"

"Alice asked me to contact the bride later to get the contact information of a Mr. Pietro Marino. Evidently they recognized Edward. Not Edward Green, but as Edward Masen. I'm not sure if I can get the information without explaining why we need it so I was wondering if you can contact Aro Volutri since he knows about Edward's past and his amnesia."

"Can't you just contact Jenks?"

"I could but I want to tread on this lightly. Who knows what Pietro Marino does for a living you know. Maybe he's also got connections to the Cosa Nostra. You don't want to dig around the mob unless you want to be dead in a dumpster."

"You serious? Come on, if he knows Edward, then he has to be someone safe. Maybe he's an artist too. Stop being so paranoid."

"Maybe he's an artist who exclusively paints for the Mafioso."

"Gosh, just because Aro knows the family of the bride doesn't mean that all the bride's guests have anything to do with the mob. Stop being ridiculous."

"Whatever, Bella. Just call Aro for Edward's sake. Okay?"

"I'm doing this for Edward. Not because of some silly fear of the guy possibly having connections to the mob." I scowled at Emmett.

I wasn't sure when Aro left the reception but thought I'd give him a call now than later. I thought I had a better chance to get a hold of him now since he couldn't have left that long ago.

"Hello. My name is Bella Swan. I'd like to speak to Mr. Aro Volturi, please." I said to the man who answered the phone and the man sounded really familiar.

"Hello Bella, I never imagined you would give me a call so soon." The man on the phone chuckled.

I didn't realize that Aro Volturi gave me his personal cell phone number. That was creepy. Why would he give me his personal number? Just the thought of having his personal number gave me the chills. He had been kind to us but he was still a creepy old man who none of us could figure out why he was so kind to us.

"I was calling to ask you if you could help me find out the contact information for Mr. Pietro Marino. He and his wife were guests at the reception and recognized Edward. They said they knew him, but it was neither the time nor place to be discussing Edward's amnesia so one of our staff basically told them that they were mistaken."

"Let me see what I can do and I'll contact you later."

"Thank you very much Mr. Volturi."

"Oh Bella, please call me Aro."

"Thank you, Aro. I hope to hear from you soon."

The phone call was short but it was uncomfortable. He probably wouldn't even go through the bride's family. He had enough resources to find out quickly.

**Edward POV**

I couldn't sleep much last night and felt exhausted. Alice promised me she would get the contact information of the man and the woman who recognized me from my past. Part of me wanted to go and find him during the reception and explain to him that I had no memory of him because of the accident, but another part of me was scared to meet the people who used to know me.

When I got back from my lunch break Emmett rushed over to me to stop me from going into the Café. "Edward, I need to tell you something," he said with a worried look.

"What's wrong, boss man?"

"The guy from the reception who recognized you is here at the Café, waiting for you. If you don't want to see him, I can tell him that you left for the day."

I felt my heart beat faster and my stomach churn. I needed to see him if I wanted to know more about myself but it was so hard. I had no idea who his was to me. I took a calming breath and told Emmett that I was fine and wanted to see him.

Everyone in the kitchen looked so worried. I smiled at them and headed into the Café.

The man looked happy when he saw me approach him. "Umm. Hello," I said to him. I sounded like an idiot. I couldn't come up with anything better to say. I was so nervous.

"Hi, Edward. It's good to see you again," he said and offered me a seat at his table.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," I said to him.

"You don't need to apologize. Mr. Volturi explained to me about the reason why you didn't recognize us. I'm sorry to barge in on you like this without warning, but we're leaving later today to go back to Chicago. We were just here for the wedding."

"You must have had somewhere you needed to be then. I'm sorry to inconvenience you."

"Please don't apologize. I wanted to be here. Let me show you something," he said and pulled a velvet ring case out. "I know you from Chicago, because you made my wife's pink diamond engagement ring." He opened the case and showed me a beautiful floral shaped pink diamond ring with pave emeralds shaped like a leaf and stem. I heard gasps from Emmett and Rosalie who stood by the counter. Pietro noticed and smiled at them.

"I…I made this for you?"

"Yes. You spent months with me designing this ring and we travelled to Australia to find the perfect Argyle pink diamond. You were very patient with me and made numerous changes until it turned out to be exactly the way I imagined it to be," he said and looked really happy with the ring. I couldn't believe I made something so beautiful.

"Did your wife like it?"

"She absolutely loved it, Edward. It's her favorite jewelry. I wanted you to make another one for her, for our first anniversary and tried contacting you and even visited your place but the doorman told me that you were travelling. I kept leaving you messages but you never returned my call. I always wondered what happened to you."

"Thank you so much for showing me this ring. It's beautiful and I'm glad to hear I made you and your wife happy." I was overwhelmed at the fact that I once held the power to make someone so happy.

"We had a great time on our trip to Australia. We went to Ayers Rock. We stayed at the Sails in the Desert Hotel. We took a helicopter tour around Ayers Rock and had dinner at Sounds of Silence under the canopy in the desert. We went star gazing. We laughed so much when we went on the camel tour. We were both really exhausted when we went on the Kings Canyon Rim Walk. I was so out of shape that you had to help me up the 500-step climb. I took a lot of pictures and videos. I also kept the sketches of the design with your notes on them and had pictures taken of this ring at our engagement party so I'd be happy to send a copy of them all to you once I get back home. If you're ever in Chicago, please contact me. I could take you to some of the places we went and had dinner and drinks. If you'd like, please feel free to show this ring to your friends. She looks like she's dying to take a closer look," he said and pointed at Rosalie and chuckled.

I waved over to Rosalie and Emmett to come over. Rosalie jumped at the opportunity. Pietro showed them the ring. "Would you mind if we took a picture?" Rosalie asked Pietro.

"Be my guest," he said and smiled.

Rosalie ran into the kitchen and Jasper and Bella came running out of the kitchen with a big smile on their faces. They oohed and ahhed over the ring. "Alice is going to be soooo jealous when she finds out that we all got to see the ring Edward made." Jasper said and chuckled.

I was surprised to see the tears in their eyes. They were really happy for me. Bella came and wrapped her arm around me. "The ring is absolutely gorgeous. It's so delicate and beautiful," she said and smiled.

I had no memory of creating this but I felt proud. It felt really good. I was thankful Rosalie asked if she could take a picture of the ring. I wanted to ask him, but I was too embarrassed but didn't want to wait for him to send me pictures later.

Pietro had to leave but he left me a card with his contact information. I gave him my cell phone number and promised I would contact him if I was ever in Chicago. At that moment I decided that I would contact the lawyer tonight. I wanted to contact him while I felt good about myself and my accomplishment.

Before we closed for the day, Emmett invited us all to their place after work. He looked at Bella and smirked.

"Does that smirk mean you want me to cook dinner?"

"Hell yeah! We even have expensive caviar to celebrate with," he said and laughed.

A/N

I'm sorry I took a while to update this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I also have a new chapter of Amor Vincit Omnia up, Chapter 30, if you haven't read it yet. I'm not sure if I'd be updating before Christmas, so I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

I'd appreciate it, if you would please leave a review! Thank you!


	10. Chapter 10 Making the Call

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot to this story.

**Chapter 10 Making the Call**

**Edward POV**

"Hello. My name is Edward Masen. I'd like to speak to Mr. Ron Evans, please."

"Edward Masen? For heaven's sake! Edward, where have you been? I've been looking for you for so many years. We were so worried about you. How are you?"

"Sir, I don't even know where to begin. I'm actually calling you to help me remember things about my past. I realize I'm not making sense to you right now. Please let me explain. The last thing I can remember is that I woke up in a hospital in Sri Lanka after getting injured from the Tsunami. I don't remember much prior to the accident. I live in New York now. Fortunately, I recently got a hold of some information in regards to myself with your contact information."

"Oh, Edward. My wife and I've been so worried about you. It wasn't like you to not contact me for so many years. I've been your family lawyer ever since your parents married. It's so good to hear from you. I'm so sorry to hear about your injuries. I've retired from the firm but have my own private law practice now. I got to keep your account when I retired because of the clause that was in the contract which you specified. Will you be coming to Chicago anytime soon? There's so much we need to discuss."

"Actually, I was hoping if you could meet me around Thanksgiving. I met my current employer who helped me back into the States. His family owns the Cullen Estate Wines in Napa Valley and run a market and a café here in Manhattan. They're closing the restaurant on Thanksgiving day so it would be an ideal time for me to travel without taking too many days off."

"Of course, my schedule is always open for you. You're more than welcome to come over for Thanksgiving dinner with my family like you used to. Would that work for you?"

"If it's no trouble, then that would be perfect. Would it be all right if I brought a friend along? I'm not sure if I would be travelling to Chicago alone or not."

"Edward, do you have a girlfriend now? Oh my wife would be ecstatic to finally see you bring a girlfriend."

"She works with me at the Café. She's the chef. She's not my girlfriend but thank you for letting me bring her with me. I really appreciate it. I'm not sure if she'll be coming with me to Chicago yet, but if she does, I don't want her to end up spending Thanksgiving dinner alone."

"Would you like to stay at your condo? It's still yours and cleaned as you've specified before you left. Until I see you in person and make sure that it's really you, I can't leave the keys to your condo with the doorman, but I can pick you up at the airport the day you arrive."

"I don't want to inconvenience you. I could swing by your place and pick up the keys or stay at a hotel for the first night."

"Nonsense, Edward. You're like family to us. Let me know the details of your flight as soon as possible so I can make the necessary arrangements."

"Thank you, Ron. I'll talk to you soon."

"All right, Edward. Talk to you soon."

I felt like a load was off my shoulders after I spoke to Ron. Since he told me he knew my parents since they were married, he would be the one who can help me fill in the blanks of my memory. I was excited to travel to Chicago. I wasn't sure if Bella was still interested in accompanying me, but after speaking to Ron, I felt I could do this alone even if she no longer wanted to join me.

I debated whether to just pick up the phone and call her now, or to ask her tomorrow at work. I decided on waiting until tomorrow as I was probably just on an adrenaline rush from speaking to Ron and might regret calling her so late tonight.

I took a quick shower and went to bed. I couldn't wait until tomorrow to tell Bella and the others about my phone call to Ron. They would be really happy for me. I knew they purposely avoided asking me whether I did anything with the information given from Aro. I was thankful of them for not rushing me.

I woke up before the alarm went off. I had plenty of time so I made some coffee and had some scrambled eggs, sausages, and toast. I took a shower after I ate and headed to the Café.

I thought I would be the first to arrive at the market, but Bella was already in the kitchen. She must have arrived much earlier as the kitchen smelled of coffee.

"Good morning, Bella."

"Oh! Good morning, Edward. You're really early today."

"I could say the same to you," I said and smiled.

"Em and I usually go to the Fulton Fish Market around 1 a.m. but he didn't feel too great so he wanted to go as late as possible. He dropped me off here straight after we got what we needed. He didn't want to smell like fish so he went back to shower. In my case I'm going to end up smelling like all kinds of food anyway so I opted to just stay at the Café and prep for breakfast."

"Do you think you can take me along next time you go? I've read about the history of the Fulton Market and have always wanted to go. I know what the fish market in Sri Lanka looks like but I wanted to see what it's like here. I read that the New Fulton Market was the second largest in the world to Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market."

"Sure. I go twice a week with either Emmett or Jasper and the rest of the days Kate or Irina goes with Emmett or Jasper. Come to think of it, it'll help Emmett and Jasper if you can also join. They'll be able to have some days off from going to the fish market that way. I can drive the truck on days you come along instead of Emmett or Jasper."

"Oh, I think that can get remedy the driving situation soon. Actually that was something I wanted to discuss with you. I called Ron, the lawyer listed on the information from Aro last night."

"Oh my gosh! How did it go?" Bella asked and sounded really excited.

"I was really nervous at first but after speaking to him I felt like a load was off my shoulders. He said he has been our family lawyer since my parents got married. I'm planning on going to Chicago over Thanksgiving. I was wondering if you were still interested in going with me."

"That's so exciting. Edward, of course I still want to go with you unless you would rather go alone."

"I would love to have you accompany me but I don't want to impose."

"Don't be silly. You should know by now that I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to. I was actually looking forward to spending time in Chicago. When do you plan on going?"

"I thought of going around Thanksgiving. Would that be inconvenient? Do you have plans of going back home to Forks?"

"I'm going home for Christmas so I won't be going to visit my Dad for Thanksgiving so Thanksgiving would be perfect. I don't think the others are going to Forks either."

"Ron, invited me to Thanksgiving dinner at their home and is expecting me to bring a guest. Would it be all right with you if you accompanied me to the dinner at Ron's home?"

"Oh. Okay. Sure. It would be nice to meet someone who knew you from your past."

"Evidently, I never brought a lady friend to the Thanksgiving dinner at their home so I hope they don't make you feel uncomfortable."

"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll manage," Bella said and smiled.

"I'll book two seats for the flight to Chicago. Ron said he'll pick us up at the airport. He'll be giving me the keys to the condo so we won't need to book a hotel room unless you prefer to stay in one."

"I prefer staying at your place than a hotel room. Hotels in Chicago are quite pricey. I'd rather spend that money on food. Oh, I'm so excited. Let me know when you tell the others about it. My lips are sealed until you tell them first."

"Deal. I'll try to catch Emmett today and tell him. I'm sure once I tell him he'll tell Rosalie and Jasper. Then Jasper will tell Alice. Once you hear from Alice, you'll know that the word got around," I said and chuckled.

"Alice is going to be so jealous when she hears that we're going to Chicago. She'll probably say she wants to go too!" Bella said and giggled. I couldn't agree with her more. If Alice wanted to, she was more than welcome to join us but part of me wanted to go to Chicago alone with Bella.

Once I spoke to Emmett, word got around really quick as I expected. I received a call from Alice before Jasper even came to me to tell me that he told Alice about the call I made to Ron.

Alice offered to book the flights for me. After discussing with Bella we thought the best flight was one that left as late as possible on Tuesday night but one that arrived at a reasonable hour in O'Hare since Ron was picking us up, and a return flight that left as early as possible on Saturday morning so that we would be back at the Café by noon.

Alice found the perfect flight for us. It left La Guardia at 8 p.m. and arrived in O'Hare at 9:40 p.m. on Tuesday night which meant it gave enough time for Bella to prep for dinner so that things would be easier on Kate and Irina, and the return flight left at 6 a.m. and arrived in La Guardia at 9:13 a.m.

Alice said she was jealous we were going to Chicago, but couldn't miss the Black Friday sales here in the city. She made me promise to take Bella shopping on Friday to the shops on the Mag Mile and that she would give us a list of places she wanted us to go. I laughed at that. Only Alice would make a list of her favorite stores.

When I got off the phone with Alice during my break I headed back to the Café. Rosalie smiled and came over to me.

"I'm so happy for you that you're finally going to find some peace. I hope the trip to Chicago is much more than you're expecting. Make sure Bella has some fun. That girl needs to get away from this place and kick back and relax," she said and gave me a hug.

People refer to her as the ice queen, but she never felt like that to me. She was more like crème brûlée. When you break the slightly bitter crusty caramel hard layer on the top, you find a rich and sweet custard underneath. That's who Rosalie was to me. Once you get to know her and break that hard layer on top she was really sweet and caring. It was no wonder Emmett is so in love with her.

"Thank you Rosalie. I hope to accomplish a lot during the time I spend there. I think I can get a lot of information I want from Ron, the lawyer, since he's been with our family even before I was born. It feels good to finally feel like I have my life back."

"I can understand that. Just know we all care about you and we're here for you. If you get overwhelmed when you're there, lean on Bella. You're not alone. Just think of this trip as a way to get reconnected. You have all the time in the world to sort everything out. Don't try to do everything at once. Once you re-establish the connection with your lawyer you can handle just about anything from here. Please come back though. We would all be really heartbroken, especially Emmett, if you didn't return," Rosalie said with worry in her eyes.

It didn't even occur to me that they would be worried I might not return. "Oh my god! Rosalie, I have no intention of staying in Chicago. I will be back. I love my job here and I love working with you all. You're all my family now. I'm sorry if I did anything that made you all feel like I would leave."

Rosalie hugged me again. "Thanks. We don't want to lose you. You are part of our family now."

Before I could say anything back to her, I got interrupted by Emmett. "Hey, stop touching my wife. She's mine," he said and chuckled. "Oh, and by the way, I took care of the ticket fare. Well actually the market took care of it. It's your bonus for all the hard work and extra revenue you brought in since you started working here. It's the least I can do."

"What? Is that all you're giving him for bonus? For all the revenue we never see during this time of the year?" Rosalie scowled at him.

"Hey, the tickets weren't that cheap. It's Thanksgiving. Plus I'll give him a card he can use to treat themselves for a nice dinner or two. I'm sure he's more loaded than me once he gets his finance sorted out but I'm sure he'll treat us all later," Emmett said and laughed.

"Thanks, boss. I don't know how to thank you. I promise I'll take you all out to dinner once I get things sorted out. I don't even know what my financial situation is like, but since I still have the place in the city, I probably haven't depleted my account yet."

"No worries, I was just kidding. Just make sure you guys have a great time there."

"I'll make sure of that," I said to Emmett and headed into the kitchen. I wanted to ask Bella if she'd be interested in grabbing a bite with me after work.

"Hi, Bella. Do you have plans after work? I was hoping we could grab a bite after work and discuss our trip to Chicago."

"Sure. I'd love to. What do you want to eat?"

"Burgers or breakfast food." I said and chuckled.

"Have you ever been to the Empire diner?"

"Never even heard of it."

"Oh, then I'm definitely taking you there tonight. It's been around for over thirty years. It's one of those classic railroad car diners. It has an official New York City landmark status and has been on movies like Home Alone 2, Men in Black II, The Cotton Club, and even Law and Order. Famous for celebrity sightings too."

"A tourist spot?" I just really wanted to kick back and relax and didn't want to end up hearing screaming fans because of a celebrity dining there.

"We'll be fine since we're going so late. Come on, I promise you won't regret it. It'll be fun."

"All right. I'll take your word for it," I smiled and went back into the Café after Bella handed me the food to take to table 3.

**Bella POV**

We had a slow night tonight so we got to start cleaning up before closing. I even got to take a break in the evening so I went online and searched for some restaurants for the night we arrive in Chicago. I didn't think Edward would think in advance that we'd need to eat when we get there. We were arriving close to 10 p.m. so I needed to find a restaurant that was open until at least midnight and located close to Edward's condo. I wouldn't have any time to eat before leaving for the airport so I was sure I would be starved by the time we arrived in Chicago. Edward's condo was located on the north end of the magnificent mile and the closest hotels were The Drake, Millennium Knickerbocker, and The Westin. The Westin had The Grill on the Alley which was open until 1 a.m. and Starbucks until 12 a.m., COQ d'OR was open until 1 a.m. and the Palm Court was open until 12 a.m. at the Drake, and the Martini Bar at the Millenium Knickerbocker was open until 11 p.m. on the night we were arriving. There was also a 24 hr Walgreens several blocks away where we could purchase water, juice, milk, and some snacks. We could easily to places on Rush Street or Oak Street but I was sure we would be too tired to walk around much and restaurants in the hotels were the safest bet.

I told Emmett that Edward and I were going to go grab a bite together to discuss our upcoming trip to Chicago after work, so he let us go as soon as I finished cleaning up my station. We took a cab and thankfully we didn't get stuck in traffic. We made it to the diner quicker than I anticipated.

"Hey, I thought you only came in the mornings. You always come with that burly guy. Where's he?" The waitress we always see in the mornings when we swing by after the fish market chirped. I guess she worked the graveyard shift.

"He's still at work." I said to her.

"What a shame. He's so funny. He makes my shift go easier. Anyway, great to see you and you," she said as she looked at me and then smiled at Edward. "Are you two ready to order?"

"We could use a few more minutes," I said to her.

"No problem. I'll be back in a few," she said and smiled at Edward again.

"Oh, so you guys are regulars here. What do you guys usually order?" Edward asked.

"Well we come here early in the mornings so I usually order breakfast food like Chili Cheese Omelet or Waffles with eggs and bacon. Emmett usually orders steak and eggs."

"Let me guess, are you going to order several different sides tonight?"

"How'd you guess?" I was surprised that he actually guessed what I planned to order.

"It's not hard, Bella. You ordered a bunch of sides last time we ate at a diner. You're rather predictable," Edward chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm the predictable boring one." I glared at Edward jokingly.

"Hey, you know I didn't mean it like that. Predictable is good. I love predictable."

My heart skipped a beat when he used the word, "love". I feigned a pout at Edward. He then softly held my hand and kissed it. I felt my face turn crimson. Edward chuckled and let my hand go.

"I think I'm going to have the Empire Burger Parade, spicy Chelsea fries, and a Samuel Adams. I wonder what wasabi mayo and tomato basil mayo taste like."

"The Empire Burger Parade is awesome. Those mini steak burger, turkey burger and cheese burger are great. I think I'm going to get fish and chips and chili, and a Corona."

We enjoyed our food and ended up ordering too many beers. I felt a bit tipsy. Clumsy never mixed well with tipsy. I tripped several times when we left the diner but luckily Edward caught me each time. "Bella, my place is closer than yours. Why don't you just crash at my place tonight? It's quite late and I don't really want you getting in a cab by yourself."

I was too drunk and really sleepy. His offer felt very appealing at that moment. I didn't think I could stay awake in the cab if I went home alone. "I might have to take you up on your offer," I said to him.

"All right. Let's get you to bed." Edward said and wrapped one of his arms around my waist to steady me as I dragged my feet. Once he opened the door to his place, Edward picked me up and carried me to his bedroom. His bed felt like heaven. So warm and comfy but I didn't want Edward to sleep on the couch in his own home. "Hey, I'm really tiny. Your couch works for me."

"It's okay Bella. Just go to sleep."

"No. I can't let you do that." I gathered all the strength I had and tried to sit up but failed miserably. I didn't give up and kept attempting to get up.

"Bella, please stop. Just go to sleep. I'll be fine."

"I'll only sleep here if you sleep on the bed too." I couldn't think straight anymore. I reached out for him and pulled his arm.

"Okay, okay. Silly girl. I'll sleep here too. I just hope you remember in the morning that you were the one who invited me to sleep here," Edward said and laughed.

Somewhere back in my mind I felt that asking him to sleep in the same bed with me was out of character for me but I was too drunk to care. I felt Edward take my shoes off. Last thing I remembered was hearing something along the lines of "how does she expect me to sleep with her so close to me," and him sigh.

A/N

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review. It would really help me as people often look at review counts when deciding to read a story or not.

I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays and a great New Year. On the top of my profile page I left 2 links of pictures I took to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. After you see it, you'll know that my Chihuahua, Barack (Barry for short) thinks I'm paparazzi! He hates getting his picture taken, well more like hate wearing fugly outfits.


	11. Chapter 11 Chicago, Chicago

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chicago- (That toddling town)** is written by **Fred Fisher** and sung by **Frank Sinatra** in my story. I don't own any rights to these either.

I only own the plot of this story.

**Chapter 11 Chicago, Chicago…**

**Characters: Edward, Bella, Ron and Karen Evans**

**Bella POV**

On the plane Edward realized that he didn't remember how Mr. Evans looked like. Thankfully Edward must have not changed much over the years as Mr. Evans recognized Edward immediately and shouted at us as soon as we stepped out of the plane.

"Edward! It's so good to see you," He rushed towards us and hugged Edward. Edward froze in his place and gave a weak smile.

"Honey, you've scared him. Give the boy some room to breathe." An elderly woman who stood beside Mr. Evans said and smiled. "Hello Edward. That bald, chubby idiot is my husband Ron, and I'm Karen, his wife. It's so good to see you again. Who might this lovely lady be?" she asked Edward.

"Ummm. Hello. Ummm. She is Bella, Bella Swan. Thank you for meeting us," Edward said still shocked from the hug and welcome from Mr. Evans.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Evans," I said to them.

"Oh sweetheart, please call us Ron and Karen. No need to be formal. We've known Edward for a very long time. I heard from Ron about Edward's medical condition. I'm sure in time we can fill in some details and feel relaxed around each other again," she said and pulled me in for a hug.

"Are you two hungry? I'm thinking we can take a detour and take you to Gino's in Rolling Meadows for some pizza. Karen and Edward's mother used to take him there often when they went shopping to the Woodfield mall. I'm not sure Edward would remember but I'm guessing it wouldn't hurt to go to places he's been," Ron said and smiled.

"Thank you. That would be really nice. We didn't get to eat before we left New York," I answered for Edward since he still looked quite nervous.

We followed Ron and Karen to their car. Edward got inside the backseat first and helped me slide in after him. Ron had an easy listening channel tuned on his radio. As he drove out of O' Hare, I heard Frank Sinatra on the radio.

_Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin' town _

_Chicago, Chicago, I will show you around, I love it!_

_Bet your bottom dollar you'll lose the blues in Chicago, Chicago_

_The town that Billy Sunday couldn't shut down _

_On State Street, that great street, I just wanna say_

_They do things they don't do on Broadway _

_They have the time the time of their life _

_I saw a man he danced with his wife _

_In Chicago, Chicago, my home town_

_Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin' town _

_Chicago, Chicago, I will show you around, I love it!_

_Bet your bottom dollar you'll lose the blues in Chicago, Chicago_

_The town that Billy Sunday could not shut down _

_On State Street, that great street, I just wanna say_

_They do things that they never do on Broadway_

_They have the time the time of their life _

_I saw a man he danced with his wife _

_In Chicago, Chicago, Chicago, that's my home town_

Right after the second verse of the song, I started to hear an unfamiliar voice sing along Frank Sinatra. The volume of the voice was so low but it was definitely someone else's voice. When I slowly glanced towards Edward, he was looking out the window, but on the reflection I saw Edward smiling and singing along. The smile on Edward's reflection on the window looked like one of a happy little boy. I wondered if Edward had gone back in time and remembered something from his childhood. When I looked away from Edward I noticed Karen turned towards us in the passenger seat as she watched Edward too. My eyes met hers and she smiled and nodded. I wondered what the nod was for. Was it a nod to tell me she was happy like me that Edward looked happy?

Rolling Meadows was just a little north of O' Hare so the trip to Gino's East was quick. Ron told us that the Gino's here was less crowded than the one on Rush Street near Edward's condo. Karen ordered for us and said that Edward's favorite was the cheese and pepperoni sausage supreme with the sausage patty. She also ordered buffalo chicken salad, fried calamari, and toasted ravioli. Edward, Ron and I ordered beer and Karen ordered a soda so that she could let Ron enjoy the drinks with us and she'd drive instead.

Ron and Karen were all smiles while they sat in front of us. I could tell they were really happy to see Edward again. I could only imagine how worried they were when they couldn't locate Edward and didn't hear from him for so many years.

"So, what do you do at the café, Bella?" Karen asked.

"I do a little of everything just like everyone else, but I'm mainly the chef. Edward also cooks. He makes Zeppoli on weekends." Ron laughed really hard when I mentioned that Edward also cooked.

"Oh I have to see that! I never imagined I'd ever see Edward in a kitchen. Last I remember he either ate out or got take out. I don't think I've ever seen him make coffee with his coffee maker," Ron said and laughed. Edward blushed and looked embarrassed.

"Ron, stop teasing him. I'm sorry, Edward. Just ignore him. It's nice to know you can cook now though. Your mother was always worried about your eating habits. That was one of the reasons she made you visit them once a week for dinner and sent you home with food to last you for several days. I used to always tell her to stop worrying. There were plenty of places for you to eat near your condo but that never stopped her. A mother never stops worrying. I'm sure your mother would've been proud," Karen said reminiscing the old days.

"Where are you from, Bella? What got you into working at the Café?"

"Oh, umm, I'm from a little town called Forks, in Washington. I grew up with the Cullens. They own the market and the café. My parents divorced when I was young and I learned to cook from an early age. Mr. and Mrs. Cullen thought I had talent in cooking and helped me through culinary school. That's how I got to work at the café."

"Ron, we need to get out to New York soon and try their cooking. I'm glad I have a reason to go to New York other than the opera now," Karen said and smiled.

"It would be great to have you two visit us," Edward said and smiled. I was glad he finally relaxed around them and started to join in the conversation.

The food was really great. The pizzas were really different from the ones I made or the ones in New York but still really great. Edward seemed to love the pizzas and looked like he could eat the whole large pizza himself. Karen wasn't kidding that this cheese and pepperoni sausage pizza was his favorite.

"I'm thinking I'd just bring all the necessary documents and stop by your condo around 10 a.m. tomorrow morning instead of bringing you to my office at home since you and Bella will be visiting us for Thanksgiving dinner. Does that sound all right with you, Edward?"

"Are you sure? Wouldn't it be more convenient for you if I just went to see you?"

"Not at all. I have some business to take care of in the city later in the day."

"Shall we get going? Bella and Edward must be really tired," Karen said to Ron.

Edward and I realized, Karen had already settled the check when she left for the restroom earlier. She was really sneaky. Edward had wanted to pay but they wouldn't accept his money.

Due to the traffic it took more than 45 minutes for them to take us back to Edward's condo. I was surprised at how tall and large Edward's high rise condo was. I had been in this building before. I wondered if my path ever crossed with Edward before I met him. Karen stayed in the car while Ron walked us into the building and said goodbye to us in the lobby.

We took the elevator and went into Edward's place. I gasped when I saw his living room. It was really beautifully done. The whole concept of his place was very modern and simple. It looked like I stepped into a living room in a magazine. I did notice one item in particular. The couch in his living room was the exact same one I had in my living room that I had purchased from the Conran shop years ago. It was from the "Content by Conran" line.

"That couch looks like the one you have. No wonder I love your couch," Edward said and chuckled.

"Yeah. I noticed that too."

"I'd give you the tour of the place but I don't have a clue so we'll have to explore it together," Edward said with a sense of humor. I was glad he wasn't freaked out by it all. He entered his place but he had no memory of it. I wondered what that felt like.

I took his hand and led him to the kitchen. I really wanted to see what it was like. It was also very modern and beautiful and the appliances looked like they had never been used. "I think you've never cooked in here. It all looks pristine," I said and laughed as I recalled what Ron had told us earlier that Edward never stepped into the kitchen. I opened the large refrigerator and was surprised to see it stocked.

"Edward, I think Ron and Karen stocked your fridge. There's water, milk, juice, beer, eggs, sausages, cold cuts, cheese, yogurt, and butter. Oooh, there's even some frozen waffles, biscuits, and cinnamon roll."

"Oh that's great. I kept looking out the window to find a convenience store nearby while they drove us here. I thought I'd need to go buy some water and juice tonight. I should thank them tomorrow. That was really sweet of them."

"Let's go check out the rest of this place," I said and took his hand and led him out of the kitchen. We got into the dining room and I gasped again. It looked very similar to the furniture I saw on a magazine featuring George Lowell. After we checked out the living room we went to the master bedroom. I noticed another item from the Conran store. Edward had the Francoise bed designed by Tristram Mylius. I was proud of myself that I recognized so many of the items in Edward's place. Years of being dragged around shopping with Alice and Rosalie must have paid off.

The next door we opened looked like Edward's studio where he worked on his designs and crafting his jewelry pieces. There was a faceting machine, scale, ring stick, ring gauge, and various other tools such that I had no clue what they were for. On one side of the room were bookshelves full of books related to gem and designs. On his desk was a book titled, "Bedazzled." When I flipped the book over on the back cover was Edward. After reading through what was written I realized this book was all on jewelry Edward designed.

"Wow, look! Edward, you have a book published based on your custom jewelry. Oh wow, it says here that you even had your pieces exhibited in MOMA and that you created many jewelry pieces for movies." I was so excited to learn so many things about Edward, but when I looked into his eyes all I saw was sadness. I wondered if he was thinking about all the things he could've, should've, and would've achieved if he never left for the trip that caused him to lose his memory. I'm sure his life would've been totally different than what his life was like right now. I felt a pang of pain in my heart when I wondered now that he'd seen a glimpse of what his life used to be like if he would maybe not want to go back to New York.

I walked towards Edward and wrapped my arms around him and leaned my head on his chest. "I think there was some wine on the counter in the kitchen. Would you like to have some wine and cheese and relax a bit in the living room before we go to bed?" Edward smiled and nodded but his smile looked a little forced. I realized that I had done most of the talking since we came to his place.

I opened a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and sliced some Camembert, Roquefort, Colby, and Danish Blue that the Evans stocked for us. They even got us some Carr's table water crackers for the cheese.

We both relaxed on the couch and stretched our legs out. There wasn't really anything interesting to watch so we settled on CNN. We both sat in silence. I didn't attempt to strike up any conversation. I assumed Edward could use some peace and quiet. It must have been an exhausting day for him. I slid closer to Edward and brought my hands to his neck and shoulder and started to give him a massage.

"Bella, it's okay. You're tired too. You should relax."

"Nah. I'm all right. Let me do this, okay? Consider this massage as payment to let me stay here for free instead of a hotel." Edward chuckled.

After several minutes of massaging his neck and his shoulders, Edward turned his back more towards me and let me rub his back. I could physically feel his muscles relax and Edward gave a sigh of relief. I'm not sure how long I spent massaging Edward. He started to sway and I noticed that he was dozing off. I kept rubbing his back gently and he started to snore. I moved in closer to him and let him lean into me. I wrapped my arms around him so that he could put his weight on me. The warmth emitted from Edward's body was nice and comfortable. I started to battle with my eyelids. Soon I noticed I couldn't keep them open.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed since I fell asleep. I felt my body shift and lifted off the couch. I realized that Edward woke up and now I was in his arms being carried out of the living room. I was too embarrassed to open my eyes.

"I know you're awake, Bella." Edward chuckled.

"Guilty as charged." I said and opened my eyes to look at Edward as he carried me to the guestroom. "You know, you could have left me on the couch. You know how often I fall asleep on my couch."

"Not gonna happen. You're my guest here, Bella."

"Well now that I'm awake, you could put me down, you know."

"True, but your body heat is keeping me warm. It feels good."

Edward carried me into the bedroom and gently lowered me onto the bed. "Thanks, Edward. So, I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Bella. Sweet dreams," Edward said, and kissed me on my forehead.

"Good night, Edward."

* * *

**A/N **

I'm sorry I hadn't updated this story in a while. General real life things got in the way as well as Christmas and New Years.

I hope you liked the chapter. It's a little short but I wanted to set things up before we got to the main part where Edward discovers more about himself through the meeting with Ron and on to the dates he has with Bella in Chi-town. Chicago is one of my favorite cities and I go almost every year. I hope I can take Bella and Edward to great places for them to have their first memorable time together.

Not sure how many readers here follow me on Amor Vincit Omnia, there's a new chapter I posted few days ago, and I also started a new Jasper & Bella story called Talk of the Town that I posted yesterday. You'll be able to find it on my profile under "My stories".

I'll try to get in another chapter of each of the stories before the end of the month.

Please leave a review!


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